Reading the Harry Potter Books
by Pottergirl3333
Summary: After the Battle of Hogwarts everyone that is still there gets a vist from their former headmaster. Dumbledore brings some books with him to read. He also brings the dead and the past together with present to read the books so everyone will understand what happened in the war better.
1. Chapter 1

Disclaimer: I'm not rich, therefor I do not own Harry Potter.

Chapter 1

It was only a hour after the final battle and many people were still sitting at the tables in the Great Hall. People were talking and crying. When suddenly Albus Dumbledore appeared in front of them. Everyone in the room took their wands out and pointed them at him.

"I know what you are all thinking, but I can assure you that I am the real Albus Dumbledore. I'm here to read some books with you to help you understand the war better. There will be some people from the past, present, future, and the dead will be joining us," Dumbledore said.

There was a series of pops in the hall and many different people appeared looking confused. A few of them pulled their wands out. Dumbledore explained to them what they were doing there.

"I think we should introduce ourselves. Tell everyone your name and the time period you are from," Dumbledore instructed. He looked at Harry, so Harry went first.

"Harry Potter 1998"

"Ron Weasley"

"Hermione Granger"

"Neville Longbottom"

"Ginny Weasley"

"Luna Lovegood"

"Hannah Abbot"

"Katie Bell"

"Susan Bones"

"Terry Boot"

Lavender Brown"

Cho Chang"

"Michael Corner"

"Dennis Creevey"

"Justin Finch-Fletchley"

"Seamus Finnigan"

"Anthony Goldstein"

Angelina Johnson"

"Oliver Wood"

"Lee Jordan"

"Ernie Macmillan"

Padma Patil"

"Parvati Patil"

"Alicia Spinnet"

"Dean Thomas"

"George Weasley"

"Molly Weasley"

Arthur Weasley"

"Bill Weasley"

"Charlie Weasley"

"Percy Weasley"

"Aberforth Dumbledore"

"Rubeus Hagrid"

"Minerva McGonagall"

"Kingsley Shacklebolt"

"Fleur Weasley"

"Sirius Black dead"

Harry's head whipped around and looked at his godfather. Sirius smirked at him. A huge grin appeared on Harry's face. He felt happier than he had been in about a year. Harry ran straight toward his godfather and hugged him. Many people watching were confused, but since they trusted Harry they decided to trust Sirius as well. Harry was holding on to Sirius as if his life depended on it. "I'm sorry," Harry was muttering over and over. "It's not your fault Harry," Sirius whispered.

"Cedric Diggory"

All of Cedric's friends ran to greet him.

"Dobby"

Harry finally let himself go from his godfather and went to hug Dobby. Not many people noticed, but a few did, that Harry's eyes were wet.

"Remus Lupin"

Harry let go of Dobby and went to hug Remus.

"Are you alright?" Remus asked him quietly.

Harry nodded.

"Alastor Moody"

A few people went to greet Mad-eye.

"Lily Potter"

Everyone looked at Harry. He was still standing beside Remus. Harry looked at his mother studying her face. She was smiling at him. Remus gave he a slight push foward. Harry started walking slowly and then faster until he was running. He hugged his mother and standing right beside him was his father. He released his mother and hugged his father. When James let go of him both his parents looked at him like he would vanish at any second. "What have you been doing?" Lily asked looking at Harry. He was still covered in soot, mud, dirt, sweat, and blood from the battle.

Harry grinned and ruffled his hair, "It's a bit of a long story."

Everyone was looking at James expectatly.

"Oh yeah, James Potter"

"Tonks"

Everyone who was friends with her ran to her, Harry included.

"Severus Snape"

Everyone that thought Snape was a Death Eater pointed their wands at him.

Harry jumped in front of him. Ron and Hermione ran to stand beside Harry.

"Nobody is going to attack Professor Snape. None of you know the whole story so point your wands else where," Harry commanded.

Slowly everyone put their wands away.

"Colin Creevey"

Dennis ran to greet his older brother.

"Fred Weasley"

The Weasleys, Harry, Hermione, and Lee ran to Fred. Fred was being pulled in all directions. He was being hugged and the whole group was laughing.

"James Potter 1976"

Older James groaned.

"Sirius Black"

"Remus Lupin"

"Lily Evans"

"Alice Zeller"

"Frank Longbottom"

"Severus Snape"

"Regulus Black"

"Now that that's done let's begin," Dumbledore said.

_AN: I'm sorry that I have not posted lately. I've been sick and then Friday I got an email saying my story had been taken down. So I am going to update all the chapters that were already posted this week. I'll also try to get the new ones up. Than-you to all the support, reviews, favorites, and followers it makes my day. See you soon! _


	2. The Boy Who Lived

Disclaimer: I don't own Harry Potter. If I did Sirius and many others would never have died.

**"THE BOY WHO LIVED" **Dumbledore read.

"Who's that?" younger James and Sirius asked together.

"Shh," younger Lily said.

"We just asked a question," younger James said.

"If you will let Professor Dumbledore read you might find out," younger Lily snapped. 

**Mr. and Mrs. Dursley, **

"What do they have to do with anything?" older Lily asked her eyes narrowing.

Older James shrugged, but he looked worried as well.

**of number four, Privet Drive, were proud to say that they were perfectly normal, thank you very much.**

"You're not very welcomed," Fred, George, younger James, and younger Sirius said.

**They were the last people you'd expect to be involved in anything strange or mysterious, because they just didn't hold with such nonsense.**

"That just takes away all the fun in life," younger Sirius yelled.

"Your telling me," Harry muttered, so only Ron and Hermione could hear.

**Mr. Dursley was the director of a firm called Grunnings, which made drills.**

"What are drills?" all the pure-bloods asked.

"A type of muggle tool," Hermione answered.

"Ohh," was choursed around the room.

**He was a big, beefy man with hardly any neck, although he did have a very large mustache. Mrs. Dursley was thin and blonde and had nearly twice the usual amount of neck, which came in very useful as she spent so much of her time craning over garden fences, spying on the neighbors. The Dursleys had a small son called Dudley and in their opinion there was no finer boy anywhere.**

"Well they sound like lovely people," Hannah said her voice dripping with sarcasm.

"Oh, they are. I've never met nicer people," Harry agreed also Sarcastilty.

The people in the room that knew how Harry felt about his family and had met them laughed.

**The Dursleys had everything they wanted, but they also had a secret, and their greatest fear was that somebody would discover it. They didn't think they could bear it if anyone found out about the Potters. **

"THERE IS NOTHING WRONG WITH THE POTTERS!" was shouted all over the room.

**Mrs. Potter was Mrs. Dursley's sister,**

"No,no,no,no,no,no,no,no,no,no,no,no,no," younger Lily repeated over and over

"What?" Alice asked.

"My sister's fiance is named Dursley," younger Lily explained

Younger James heard her and started doing a victory dance, while chanting "I marry Evans! I marry Evans!"

Young Remus silenced his friend and made him sit down.

"Sorry, about him, he's fancied Evans since he first saw her," young Sirius said.

Older Sirius, older Remus, older Lily, and Harry were laughing at older James's red face.

**but they hadn't met for several years; in fact, Mrs. Dursley pretended she didn't have a sister,**

Older Lily sighed, and older James grabbed her hand under the table.

Younger Lily sighed, and Alice hugged her.

**because her sister and her good-for-nothing husband**

"MY DAD'S THE BEST!" Harry yelled.

"JAMES IS BETTER THAN YOUR WHALE OF A HUSBAND!" older Lily screamed.

"THERE IS NOTHING WRONG WITH PRONGS!" both Remuses and Siriuses shouted.

Both James went red. Older James was smiling because of what Harry said, and young James was smiling about what the older Lily said.

**were as unDursleyish**

"Not a word," Hermione, both Lilies, and the Ravenclaws snarled.

**as it was possible to be. The Dursleys shuddered to think what the neighbors would say if the Potters arrived in the street. **

Everyone was laughing at the thought.

**The Dursleys knew that the Potters had a small son, too, but they had never even seen him.**

"We didn't want you too," James muttered.

**This boy was another good reason for keeping the Potters away; they didn't want Dudley mixing with a child like that.**

"It would do Dudley good to be around Harry!" Ginny snapped.

"More like we wouldn't want Harry mixing with that spawn of yours!" older James snarled.

Older Lily was too mad to tell him off.

**When Mr. and Mrs. Dursley woke up on the dull, gray Tuesday our story starts, there was nothing about the cloudy sky outside to suggest that strange and mysterious things would soon be happening all over the country. Mr. Dursley hummed as he picked out his most boring tie for work,**

"Who would want a most boring tie?" Ernie asked in disbelieve.

"My uncle," Harry replied dully.

**and Mrs. Dursley gossiped away happily as she wrestled a screaming Dudley into his high chair.**

"Brat," many adults muttered.

**None of them noticed a large, tawny owl flutter past the window.**

"That's odd," Justin commented.

**At half past eight, Mr. Dursley picked up his briefcase, pecked Mrs. Dursley on the cheek, and tried to kiss Dudley good-bye but missed, because Dudley was now having a tantrum and throwing his cereal at the walls.**

"Brat," was repeated

**"Little tyke," chortled Mr. Dursley **

"What kind of parent would encourage that behaviour," Mrs. Weasley muttered.

**as he left the house. He got into his car and backed out of number four's drive.**

**It was on the corner of the street that he noticed the first sign of something peculiar - a cat reading a map.**

"MINNIE!" the young Marauders shouted.

**For a second, Mr. Dursley didn't realize what he had seen - then he jerked his head around to look again. There was a tabby cat standing on the corner of Privet Drive, but there wasn't a map in sight. What could he have been thinking of?**

"He can think!?" Harry yelled in shock. Many people laughed.

**It must have been a trick of the light. Mr. Dursley blinked and stared at the cat. It stared back. As Mr. Dursley drove around the corner and up the road, he watched the cat in his mirror. It was now reading the sign that said Privet Drive - no, looking at the sign; cats couldn't read maps or signs.**

"Minnie can!" the young Marauders instited.

**Mr. Dursley gave himself a little shake and put the cat out of his mind. As he drove toward town he thought of nothing except a large order of drills he was hoping to get that day.**

"Boring much," Neville said.

**But on the edge of town, drills were driven out of his mind by something else. As he sat in the usual morning traffic jam, he couldn't help noticing that there seemed to be a lot of strangely dressed people about. People in cloaks.**

"What's so strange with cloaks?" Susan asked.

"Muggles don't wear cloaks," Harry answered.

Susan nodded.

**Mr. Dursley couldn't bear people who dressed in funny clothes - the getups you saw on young people! He supposed this was some stupid new fashion.**

"It's only been around a few thousand years," older Sirius muttered.

Older James was sitting beside him and snorted.

**He drummed his fingers on the steering wheel and his eyes fell on a huddle of these weirdos standing quite close by. They were whispering excitedly together. Mr. Dursley was enraged to see that a couple of them weren't young at all; why, that man had to be older than he was, and wearing an emerald-green cloak! The nerve of him!**

"Can you believe it Gred?" George asked.

"I can't Forge! People nowadays!" Fred exclaimed.

**But then it struck Mr. Dursley that this was probably some silly stunt - these people were obviously collecting for something... yes, that would be it. The traffic moved on and a few minutes later, Mr. Dursley arrived in the Grunnings parking lot, his mind back on drills.**

"Really? What is with this guy?" Cho exclaimed.

**Mr. Dursley always sat with his back to the window in his office on the ninth floor. If he hadn't, he might have found it harder to concentrate on drills that morning. He didn't see the owls swoop ing past in broad daylight, though people down in the street did; they pointed and gazed open- mouthed as owl after owl sped overhead.**

"Why is everyone being so careless?" Regulus asked.

Young Severus shrugged.

**Most of them had never seen an owl even at nighttime.**

"What do they do for mail?" Cedric asked.

"People deliver it to them," Hermione explained.

People just looked more confused.

**Mr. Dursley, however, had a perfectly normal, owl-free morning. He yelled at five different people. He made several important telephone calls and shouted a bit more. He was in a very good mood until lunchtime, **

"Pleasent," Hannah commented looking disgusted.

**when he thought he'd stretch his legs**

"Wait, read that again," Harry requested.

Dumbledore reread it.

"THE WORLD IS ENDING!" Fred, George, Ron, and Harry shouted.

The hall brust out in laughter.

**and walk across the road to buy himself a bun from the bakery.**

"THE WORLD IS RIGHT AGAIN!" the four shouted.

**He'd forgotten all about the people in cloaks until he passed a group of them next to the baker's.**

"Really? What is going on? Everyone is usually more careful than that," younger Lily said.

**He eyed them angrily as he passed. He didn't know why, but they made him uneasy. This bunch were whispering excitedly, too, and he couldn't see a single collecting tin. It was on his way back past them, clutching a large doughnut in a bag, that he caught a few words of what they were saying.**

**"The Potters, that's right, that's what I heard yes, their son, Harry"**

Everyone- except the people from the past, Lily, and James- eyes widen as they relised what day this was.

Sirius buried his head in his hands.

Remus did the same and Harry laid his head on the table. He used his arms to block out everything that was going on around him.

**Mr. Dursley stopped dead.**

"I wish," Harry whispered.

**Fear flooded him. He looked back at the whisperers as if he wanted to say something to them, but thought better of it.**

**He dashed back across the road, hurried up to his office, snapped at his secretary not to disturb him, seized his telephone, and had almost finished dialing his home number when he changed his mind. He put the receiver back down and stroked his mustache, thinking... no, he was being stupid.**

"That's nothing new," Harry muttered.

**Potter wasn't such an unusual name. He was sure there were lots of people called Potter who had a son called Harry. Come to think of it, he wasn't even sure his nephew was called Harry. He'd never even seen the boy. It might have been Harvey. Or Harold. **

"They didn't even know your name," Hermione said quietly from beside Harry.

"Still don't think they do," Harry said lifting his head off the table.

James and Lily looked at Harry. They were both wondering why Harry seemed to know the Dursleys so well.

**There was no point in worrying Mrs. Dursley; she always got so upset at any mention of her sister. He didn't blame her - if he'd had a sister like that... but all the same, those people in cloaks...**

**He found it a lot harder to concentrate on drills that afternoon and when he left the building at five o'clock, he was still so worried that he walked straight into someone just outside the door.**

**"Sorry,"**

"I didn't know he even knew that word," Harry said genually shocked.

**he grunted, as the tiny old man stumbled and almost fell. It was a few seconds before Mr. Dursley realized that the man was wearing a violet cloak. He didn't seem at all upset at being almost knocked to the ground. On the contrary, his face split into a wide smile and he said in a squeaky voice that made passersby stare, "Don't be sorry, my dear sir, for nothing could upset me today! Rejoice, for You-Know-Who has gone at last! Even Muggles like yourself should be celebrating, this happy, happy day!"**

Everyone from the past sat shocked for a moment.

"WOOOOOOO!" Young Sirius, James, Lily, Remus, Frank, and Alice screamed.

The six got up and started dancing and jumping with joy.

Then they noticed that nobody else looked happy.

"What's wrong? Aren't you happy?" Young James asked.

"There was a cost. A heavy, painful, cost," Older Remus said, tears were threating to fall down his face.

Older Sirius made a noise somewhere between a moan and a sob. Nobody could see if he was crying or not, because his face was still in his hands

Harry was staring at the opposite wall. His eyes were pull of unshed tears.

**And the old man hugged Mr. Dursley around the middle and walked off.**

No one said anything still thinking on what happened.

**Mr. Dursley stood rooted to the spot. He had been hugged by a complete stranger. He also thought he had been called a Muggle, whatever that was. He was rattled. He hurried to his car and set off for home, hoping he was imagining things, which he had never hoped before, because he didn't approve of imagination.**

"Who doesn't approve of imagination?" Terry looked scandleized.

**As he pulled into the driveway of number four, the first thing he saw - and it didn't improve his mood - was the tabby cat he'd spotted that morning.**

"MINNIE!" the Marauders shouted trying to improve the mood.

**It was now sitting on his garden wall. He was sure it was the same one; it had the same markings around its eyes.**

**"Shoo!" said Mr. Dursley loudly. The cat didn't move. It just gave him a stern look.**

"Seen that before," both sets of Marauders, Fred, George, Harry, Ron, and Hermione muttered.

**Was this normal cat behavior? Mr. Dursley wondered.**

"No it's normal McGonagall behavior," the same people said.

**Trying to pull himself together, he let himself into the house. He was still determined not to mention anything to his wife.**

**Mrs. Dursley had had a nice, normal day. She told him over dinner all about Mrs. Next Door's problems with her daughter and how Dudley had learned a new word ("Won't!").**

"You'll regret that later," Mrs. Weasley said.

All the parents in the room nodded.

**Mr. Dursley tried to act normally. When Dudley had been put to bed, he went into the living room in time to catch the last report on the evening news:**

**"And finally, bird-watchers everywhere have reported that the nation's owls have been behaving very unusually today. Although owls normally hunt at night and are hardly ever seen in daylight, there have been hundreds of sightings of these birds flying in every direction since sunrise. Experts are unable to explain why the owls have suddenly changed their sleeping pattern." The newscaster allowed himself a grin. "Most mysterious. And now, over to Jim McGuffin with the weather. Going to be any more showers of owls tonight, Jim?"**

**"Well, Ted," said the weatherman, "I don't know about that, but it's not only the owls that have been acting oddly today. Viewers as far apart as Kent, Yorkshire, and Dundee have been phoning in to tell me that instead of the rain I promised yesterday, they've had a downpour of shooting stars! Perhaps people have been celebrating Bonfire Night early - it's not until next week, folks! But I can promise a wet night tonight."**

**Mr. Dursley sat frozen in his armchair. Shooting stars all over Britain? Owls flying by daylight? Mysterious people in cloaks all over the place? And a whisper, a whisper about the Potters...**

**Mrs. Dursley came into the living room carrying two cups of tea. It was no good. He'd have to say something to her. He cleared his throat nervously. "Er - Petunia, dear - you haven't heard from your sister lately, have you?"**

**As he had expected, Mrs. Dursley looked shocked and angry. After all, they normally pretended she didn't have a sister.**

Older James squezed his wife's hand in comfort.

**"No," she said sharply. "Why?"**

**"Funny stuff on the news," Mr. Dursley mumbled. "Owls... shooting stars... and there were a lot of funny-looking people in town today..."**

**"So?" snapped Mrs. Dursley.**

**"Well, I just thought... maybe... it was something to do with... you know... her crowd."**

**Mrs. Dursley sipped her tea through pursed lips. Mr. Dursley wondered whether he dared tell her he'd heard the name "Potter." He decided he didn't dare. **

"Coward," Dean said.

**Instead he said, as casually as he could, "Their son - he'd be about Dudley's age now, wouldn't he?"**

**"I suppose so," said Mrs. Dursley stiffly.**

**"What's his name again? Howard, isn't it?"**

"I would never call any son of mine Howard," Lily snarled.

**"Harry. Nasty, common name, if you ask me."**

"Harry is a wonderful name!" Ginny snapped.

Harry went red.

Older Lily and Older James exchanged a look.

**"Oh, yes," said Mr. Dursley, his heart sinking horribly. "Yes, I quite agree."**

**He didn't say another word on the subject as they went upstairs to bed. While Mrs. Dursley was in the bathroom, Mr. Dursley crept to the bedroom window and peered down into the front garden. The cat was still there. It was staring down Privet Drive as though it were waiting for something.**

**Was he imagining things? Could all this have anything to do with the Potters? If it did... if it got out that they were related to a pair of - well, he didn't think he could bear it.**

**The Dursleys got into bed. Mrs. Dursley fell asleep quickly but Mr. Dursley lay awake, turning it all over in his mind. His last, comforting thought before he fell asleep was that even if the Potters were involved, there was no reason for them to come near him and Mrs. Dursley. The Potters knew very well what he and Petunia thought about them and their kind... He couldn't see how he and Petunia could get mixed up in anything that might be going on - he yawned and turned over - it couldn't affect them...**

**How very wrong he was.**

"How I wish he wasn't," Harry said.

Ron and Hermione gave their friend a sad smile.

**Mr. Dursley might have been drifting into an uneasy sleep, but the cat on the wall outside was showing no sign of sleepiness. It was sitting as still as a statue, its eyes fixed unblinkingly on the far corner of Privet Drive. It didn't so much as quiver when a car door slammed on the next street, nor when two owls swooped overhead. In fact, it was nearly midnight before the cat moved at all.**

**A man appeared on the corner the cat had been watching, appeared so suddenly and silently you'd have thought he'd just popped out of the ground. The cat's tail twitched and its eyes narrowed.**

"Definitly Minnie," Young James laughed.

**Nothing like this man had ever been seen on Privet Drive. He was tall, thin, and very old, judging by the silver of his hair and beard, which were both long enough to tuck into his belt. He was wearing long robes, a purple cloak that swept the ground, and high-heeled, buckled boots. His blue eyes were light, bright, and sparkling behind half-moon spectacles and his nose was very long and crooked, as though it had been broken at least twice. **

"I bet it's Dumbledore!" Dennis cried.

**This man's name was Albus Dumbledore.**

"Told you," Dennis said smuggly.

"Nobody disagreed with you," Colin pointed out ruffling his little brother's hair.

Dennis stuck his tongue out at him. He was going to miss his brother so much when this was over.

**Albus Dumbledore didn't seem to realize that he had just arrived in a street where everything from his name to his boots was unwelcome. **

"I knew I just didn't care," the professor said.

Many laughed.

**He was busy rummaging in his cloak, looking for something. But he did seem to realize he was being watched, because he looked up suddenly at the cat, which was still staring at him from the other end of the street. For some reason, the sight of the cat seemed to amuse him. He chuckled and muttered, "I should have known."**

"Should have known what?" young Sirius asked.

"If you would just shut up we might find out," young Lily said. She was beginning to get interested into the story. 

**He found what he was looking for in his inside pocket. It seemed to be a silver cigarette lighter. He flicked it open, held it up in the air, and clicked it. The nearest street lamp went out with a little pop.**

"Cool," Seamus said.

Everyone in the room was thinking how amazing that was.

"I want one," Micheal whined.

Ron stuck his hand in his pocket where said object was at.

Hermione and Harry knew what Ron was thinking and brust out laughing.

**He clicked it again - the next lamp flickered into darkness. Twelve times he clicked the Put-Outer, until the only lights left on the whole street were two tiny pinpricks in the distance, which were the eyes of the cat watching him. If anyone looked out of their window now, even beady-eyed Mrs. Dursley, they wouldn't be able to see anything that was happening down on the pavement. Dumbledore slipped the Put-Outer back inside his cloak and set off down the street toward number four, where he sat down on the wall next to the cat. He didn't look at it, but after a moment he spoke to it.**

**"Fancy seeing you here, Professor McGonagall."**

"Told you," young James said.

"Nobody disagreed with you mate," young Sirius said.

"Shut up," young James replied.

Harry was enjoying watching his father and Sirius happy and joking.

**He turned to smile at the tabby, but it had gone. Instead he was smiling at a rather severe-looking woman who was wearing square glasses exactly the shape of the markings the cat had had around its eyes. She, too, was wearing a cloak, an emerald one. Her black hair was drawn into a tight bun. She looked distinctly ruffled.**

**"How did you know it was me?" she asked.**

"We all knew it was you," young Sirius said.

"No one asked you Padfoot," young James said.

"She just asked how we knew it was her," young Sirius argued.

"She was talking to Dumbldore you twit," young James rolled his eyes.

Young Sirius jumped on his best mate and the two began to werstle.

"Potter! Black! Stop!" Young Lily screamed.

The two stopped and went back to their seats.

**"My dear Professor, I 've never seen a cat sit so stiffly."**

"You'd be stiff if you sat on a brick wall all day," Frank said.

**"You'd be stiff if you'd been sitting on a brick wall all day," said Professor McGonagall.**

"Frank thinks like Minnie," young James sang out.

Frank turned red.

**"All day? When you could have been celebrating? I must have passed a dozen feasts and parties on my way here."**

**Professor McGonagall sniffed angrily.**

**"Oh yes, everyone's celebrating, all right," she said impatiently. "You'd think they'd be a bit more careful, but no - even the Muggles have noticed something's going on. It was on their news." She jerked her head back at the Dursleys' dark living-room window. "I heard it. Flocks of owls... shooting stars... Well, they're not completely stupid. They were bound to notice something. Shooting stars down in Kent - I'll bet that was Dedalus Diggle. He never had much sense."**

The people who knew Dedalus laughed. He really didn't have any sense.

**"You can't blame them," said Dumbledore gently. "We've had precious little to celebrate for eleven years."**

"Eleven years... that's about five years long from now!" young Alice exclaimed.

"I'm not sure if that's good or bad," young Lily said.

"Bad, that means we have five years left of deaths and torture," young James said being serious.

Lily looked at him like she'd never seen him before.

**"I know that," said Professor McGonagall irritably. "But that's no reason to lose our heads. People are being downright careless, out on the streets in broad daylight, not even dressed in Muggle clothes, swapping rumors."**

**She threw a sharp, sideways glance at Dumbledore here, as though hoping he was going to tell her something, but he didn't, so she went on. "A fine thing it would be if, on the very day YouKnow-Who seems to have disappeared at last, the Muggles found out about us all. I suppose he really has gone, Dumbledore?"**

**"It certainly seems so," said Dumbledore. "We have much to be thankful for. Would you care for a lemon drop?"**

"A what?" Ron asked.

**"A what?"**

"Now Ron's the one that's thinking like McGonagall," Fred teased.

"I didn't know Ron could think at all," George joked.

Ron tried to smile, but he could only grimace at the thought of what would happen to his brother.

Hermione gave Ron a hug for she was thinking the same thing.

Harry squeezed his friend's shoulder. The three smiled at each other.

Older James looked at them. He was glad that his son could have such good friends.

**"A lemon drop. They're a kind of Muggle sweet I'm rather fond of"**

**"No, thank you," said Professor McGonagall coldly, as though she didn't think this was the moment for lemon drops. "As I say, even if You-Know-Who has gone -"**

**"My dear Professor, surely a sensible person like yourself can call him by his name? All this 'You- Know-Who' nonsense - for eleven years I have been trying to persuade people to call him by his proper name: Voldemort."**

Many people flinched.

"It's a name. There is nothing to feared of a name. It's not even his real one," Harry sighed.

**Professor McGonagall flinched, but Dumbledore, who was unsticking two lemon drops, seemed not to notice. "It all gets so confusing if we keep saying 'You-Know-Who.' I have never seen any reason to be frightened of saying Voldemort's name.**

**"I know you haven 't, said Professor McGonagall, sounding half exasperated, half admiring. "But you're different. Everyone knows you're the only one You-Know- oh, all right, Voldemort, was frightened of."**

Most everyone flinched again.

"VOLDEMORT!" Harry shouted, "It's just a name get used to it."

Older James and older Lily looked at their son proudly.

**"You flatter me," said Dumbledore calmly. "Voldemort had powers I will never have."**

"Only because your too noble to use them," Harry and both James said.

Older James and Harry smiled at each other.

**"Only because you're too - well - noble to use them."**

"Now Prongs is thinking like Minnie," young Sirius laughed.

"So is Harry," Fred laughed.

"Like father, like son," older Lily said.

Older James and Harry beamed.

**"It's lucky it's dark. I haven't blushed so much since Madam Pomfrey told me she liked my new earmuffs."**

"TOO MUCH INFORMATION!" the young Marauders, Fred, and George yelled.

**Professor McGonagall shot a sharp look at Dumbledore and said, "The owls are nothing next to the rumors that are flying around. You know what everyone's saying? About why he's disappeared? About what finally stopped him?"**

The room was so quiet you could have heard a pin drop.

**It seemed that Professor McGonagall had reached the point she was most anxious to discuss, the real reason she had been waiting on a cold, hard wall all day, for neither as a cat nor as a woman had she fixed Dumbledore with such a piercing stare as she did now. It was plain that whatever "everyone" was saying, she was not going to believe it until Dumbledore told her it was true. Dumbledore, however, was choosing another lemon drop and did not answer.**

**"What they're saying," she pressed on, "is that last night Voldemort turned up in Godric's Hollow. He went to find the Potters.**

"NO!" young Sirius shouted looking at James.

"Lily," Alice whispered.

Frank wrapped an arm around her.

Young Remus face went white.

**The rumor is that Lily and James Potter are - are - that they're - dead. "**

"NOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO!" young Sirius and Remus yelled.

Alice brust into tears.

Frank had silence tears rolling down his cheeks.

Old Sirius was shaking with sobs.

Harry got up and ran from the room.

Ron and Hermione ran after him.

Remus was sobbing and Tonks tried to comfort him.

The only one who noticed the singal tear ran down the two Snape's face was Dumbledore.

Young James and Lily sat in shock.

They were dead. They couldn't be. It was impossible, but everyone from the future reactions proved it. They were dead.

Old James and Lily sat in shock.

They couldn't believe how much Harry seemed to miss them. He had never even met them and he couldn't even stay in the room with them. Then they started wondering if it was only because he didn't want to be around them. That thought was crushed when he reentered the room. The part of his face that wasn't covered in blood, soot, mud, or dirt was red. It was obvious he had been crying. Hermione and Ron walked right beside him. They returned to their seats. When they did older James picked Harry up and moved him between himself and Lily. Older Lily and James hugged their son.

**Dumbledore bowed his head. Professor McGonagall gasped.**

**"Lily and James... I can't believe it... I didn't want to believe it... Oh, Albus..."**

"Didn't know you cared so much," younger James said.

McGonagall blew her noise.

**Dumbledore reached out and patted her on the shoulder. "I know... I know..." he said heavily.**

**Professor McGonagall's voice trembled as she went on. "That's not all. They're saying he tried to kill the Potter's son, Harry.**

Older James and Lily gasped. They knew Harry escaped, but they didn't know how.

**But - he couldn't. He couldn't kill that little boy. **

The older Potters sighed in relieve.

James opened his mouth to ask how.

"It'll explain later," Harry said.

**No one knows why, or how, but they're saying that when he couldn't kill Harry Potter, Voldemort's power somehow broke - and that's why he's gone.**

**Dumbledore nodded glumly.**

**"It's - it's true?" faltered Professor McGonagall. "After all he's done... all the people he's killed... he couldn't kill a little boy? It's just astounding... of all the things to stop him... but how in the name of heaven did Harry survive?"**

**"We can only guess," said Dumbledore. "We may never know."**

**Professor McGonagall pulled out a lace handkerchief and dabbed at her eyes beneath her spectacles. Dumbledore gave a great sniff as he took a golden watch from his pocket and examined it. It was a very odd watch. It had twelve hands but no numbers; instead, little planets were moving around the edge. It must have made sense to Dumbledore, though, because he put it back in his pocket and said, "Hagrid's late. I suppose it was he who told you I'd be here, by the way?"**

**"Yes," said Professor McGonagall. "And I don't suppose you're going to tell me why you're here, of all places?"**

**"I've come to bring Harry to his aunt and uncle. They're the only family he has left now."**

**"You don't mean - you can't mean the people who live here?" cried Professor McGonagall, jumping to her feet and pointing at number four. "Dumbledore - you can't. I've been watching them all day. You couldn't find two people who are less like us. And they've got this son - I saw him kicking his mother all the way up the street, screaming for sweets.**

"Brat," everyone muttered.

**Harry Potter come and live here!"**

"Thanks for trying," Harry told his professor.

**"It's the best place for him,"**

Harry, Ron, Fred, and George snorted.

**said Dumbledore firmly. "His aunt and uncle will be able to explain everything to him when he's older. I've written them a letter."**

"A LETTER!" older Lily screamed standing up.

Dumbledore winced.

"YOU THOUGHT YOU COULD EXPLAIN ALL THIS IN A LETTER!" she yelled.

"Lily," older James muttered.

Older Lily shackily sat back down.

Hermione, Ginny, Mrs. Weasley, older James, older Sirius, older Remus, Tonks, and Luna were shacking with anger as well.

Dumbledore looked nervously at the woman before contuining reading.

**"A letter?" repeated Professor McGonagall faintly, sitting back down on the wall. "Really, Dumbledore, you think you can explain all this in a letter? These people will never understand him! He'll be famous - a legend - I wouldn't be surprised if today was known as Harry Potter day in the future - there will be books written about Harry - every child in our world will know his name!"**

**"Exactly," said Dumbledore, looking very seriously over the top of his half-moon glasses. "It would be enough to turn any boy's head. Famous before he can walk and talk! Famous for something he won't even remember! Can't you see how much better off he'll be, growing up away from all that until he's ready to take it?"**

**Professor McGonagall opened her mouth, changed her mind, swallowed, and then said, "Yes - yes, you're right, of course. But how is the boy getting here, Dumbledore?" She eyed his cloak suddenly as though she thought he might be hiding Harry underneath it.**

**"Hagrid's bringing him."**

**"You think it - wise - to trust Hagrid with something as important as this?"**

"I would trust Hagrid with my life," Harry, Ron, and Hermione said.

Hagrid beamed.

**I would trust Hagrid with my life," said Dumbledore.**

**"I'm not saying his heart isn't in the right place," said Professor McGonagall grudgingly, "but you can't pretend he's not careless. He does tend to - what was that?"**

**A low rumbling sound had broken the silence around them. It grew steadily louder as they looked up and down the street for some sign of a headlight; it swelled to a roar as they both looked up at the sky - and a huge motorcycle fell out of the air and landed on the road in front of them.**

"I WANT ONE!" young Sirius shouted.

**If the motorcycle was huge, it was nothing to the man sitting astride it. He was almost twice as tall as a normal man and at least five times as wide. He looked simply too big to be allowed, and so wild - long tangles of bushy black hair and beard hid most of his face, he had hands the size of trash can lids, and his feet in their leather boots were like baby dolphins. In his vast, muscular arms he was holding a bundle of blankets.**

**"Hagrid," said Dumbledore, sounding relieved. "At last. And where did you get that motorcycle?"**

**"Borrowed it, Professor Dumbledore, sit," said the giant, climbing carefully off the motorcycle as he spoke. "Young Sirius Black lent it to me. **

"YES!" young Sirius yelled. He got up and did a happy dance.

**I've got him, sir."**

**"No problems, were there?"**

**"No, sir - house was almost destroyed, but I got him out all right before the Muggles started swarmin' around. He fell asleep as we was flyin' over Bristol."**

**Dumbledore and Professor McGonagall bent forward over the bundle of blankets. Inside, just visible, was a baby boy, fast asleep. Under a tuft of jet-black hair over his forehead they could see a curiously shaped cut, like a bolt of lightning.**

"Aww," all the woman cooed.

**"Is that where -?" whispered Professor McGonagall.**

**"Yes," said Dumbledore. "He'll have that scar forever."**

**"Couldn't you do something about it, Dumbledore?"**

**"Even if I could, I wouldn't. Scars can come in handy. I have one myself above my left knee that is a perfect map of the London Underground.**

"Wicked," Ron and Harry said.

**Well - give him here, Hagrid - we'd better get this over with."**

**Dumbledore took Harry in his arms and turned toward the Dursleys' house.**

**"Could I - could I say good-bye to him, sir?" asked Hagrid. He bent his great, shaggy head over Harry and gave him what must have been a very scratchy, whiskery kiss. Then, suddenly, Hagrid let out a howl like a wounded dog.**

**"Shhh!" hissed Professor McGonagall, "you'll wake the Muggles!"**

**"S-s-sorry," sobbed Hagrid, taking out a large, spotted handkerchief and burying his face in it. "But I c-c-can't stand it - Lily an' James dead - an' poor little Harry off ter live with Muggles -"**

**"Yes, yes, it's all very sad, but get a grip on yourself, Hagrid, or we'll be found," Professor McGonagall whispered, patting Hagrid gingerly on the arm as Dumbledore stepped over the low garden wall and walked to the front door. He laid Harry gently on the doorstep,**

"YOU LEFT HIM ON A DOORSTEP!" older Lily, older James, older Remus, older Sirius, Mrs. Weasley, Mr. Weasley, Hermione, Ginny and Luna shouted. After they all finished yelling Dumbledore contiuned.

**took a letter out of his cloak, tucked it inside Harry's blankets, and then came back to the other two. For a full minute the three of them stood and looked at the little bundle; Hagrid's shoulders shook, Professor McGonagall blinked furiously, and the twinkling light that usually shone from Dumbledore's eyes seemed to have gone out.**

**"Well," said Dumbledore finally, "that's that. We've no business staying here. We may as well go and join the celebrations."**

**"Yeah," said Hagrid in a very muffled voice, "I'll be takin' Sirius his bike back.**

"Never did get back," older Sirius muttered.

**G'night, Professor McGonagall - Professor Dumbledore, sir."**

**Wiping his streaming eyes on his jacket sleeve, Hagrid swung himself onto the motorcycle and kicked the engine into life; with a roar it rose into the air and off into the night.**

**"I shall see you soon, I expect, Professor McGonagall," said Dumbledore, nodding to her. Professor McGonagall blew her nose in reply.**

**Dumbledore turned and walked back down the street. On the corner he stopped and took out the silver Put-Outer. He clicked it once, and twelve balls of light sped back to their street lamps so that Privet Drive glowed suddenly orange and he could make out a tabby cat slinking around the corner at the other end of the street. He could just see the bundle of blankets on the step of number four.**

**"Good luck, Harry," he murmured.**

"I needed it," Harry muttered. Hermione and Ron laughed.

**He turned on his heel and with a swish of his cloak, he was gone.**

**A breeze ruffled the neat hedges of Privet Drive, which lay silent and tidy under the inky sky, the very last place you would expect astonishing things to happen. Harry Potter rolled over inside his blankets without waking up. One small hand closed on the letter beside him and he slept on, not knowing he was special, not knowing he was famous, not knowing he would be woken in a few hours' time by Mrs. Dursley's scream as she opened the front door to put out the milk bottles, nor that he would spend the next few weeks being prodded and pinched by his cousin Dudley... He couldn't know that at this very moment, people meeting in secret all over the country were holding up their glasses and saying in hushed voices: "To Harry Potter - the boy who lived!"**

"That's the end of the chapter," Dumbledore said.

_AN: The reason there wasn't much talking in this chapter is because everyone is remebering the day Lily and James died and they're mourning them. Thanks for reading. _


	3. The Vanishing Glass

_Disclaimer: I own Harry Potter! *Police show up at my door.* I don't own Harry Potter! It belongs to the queen, J.K. Rowling. _

"Who wants to read next?" Professor Dumbledore asked.

"I will," Hermione said eargly raising her hand.

"There's a suprise," Ron muttered.

Harry sniggered.

**"THE VANISHING GLASS" **Hermione read.

**Nearly ten years had passed since the Dursleys had woken up to find their nephew on the front step, but Privet Drive had hardly changed at all. **

"Boring," George yawned, trying to rid the room of some of the tention.

Harry smiled his thanks at him.

**The sun rose on the same tidy front gardens and lit up the brass number four on the Dursleys' front door; it crept into their living room, which was almost exactly the same as it had been on the night when Mr. Dursley had seen that fateful news report about the owls. Only the photographs on the mantelpiece really showed how much time had passed. Ten years ago, there had been lots of pictures of what looked like a large pink beach ball wearing different-colored bonnets**

"What?" Neville said.

**- but Dudley Dursley was no longer a baby,**

"Ohhh," Neville said.

**and now the photographs showed a large blond boy riding his first bicycle, on a carousel at the fair, playing a computer game with his father, being hugged and kissed by his mother. The room held no sign at all that another boy lived in the house, too.**

"Are you still there?" older James asked his son.

"Sadly," Harry replied.

**Yet Harry Potter was still there, asleep at the moment, but not for long. His Aunt Petunia was awake and it was her shrill voice that made the first noise of the day.**

"I feel for you," younger Lily said.

"That is not something you want to wake-up to," older Lily agreed.

**"Up! Get up! Now!**

Harry had realized what was about to be reviled about his home life, so he moved from between his parents to between Ron and Hermione. They at least knew some of he had to deal with while he was there. Older James and Lily tried to hid the hurt they felt that their son had moved away from them. Older Sirius was sitting accross form them mouthed, "Give him time." Older James just nodded.

**Harry woke with a start. His aunt rapped on the door again.**

**"Up!" she screeched.**

"Shut up you hag!" Ginny snapped.

**Harry heard her walking toward the kitchen and then the sound of the frying pan being put on the stove. He rolled onto his back and tried to remember the dream he had been having. It had been a good one. There had been a flying motorcycle in it.**

"You can remember that?" Hagrid asked in disbelieve.

"Sorta," Harry shrugged.

**He had a funny feeling he'd had the same dream before.**

"Because it was real!" Fred and George shouted.

**His aunt was back outside the door.**

**"Are you up yet?" she demanded.**

**"Nearly," said Harry.**

"Give him a minute," older Lily snarled.

**"Well, get a move on, I want you to look after the bacon.**

"They made you cook?" older Remus growled.

Harry nodded.

"What age did you start cooking at?" older James asked in a voice full of forced calmness.

"Five or six," Harry shrugged.

A few windows broke.

"Sorry," older James, Lily, and Sirius muttered.

**And don't you dare let it burn, I want everything perfect on Duddy's birthday."**

**Harry groaned.**

**"What did you say?" his aunt snapped through the door.**

"He didn't say anything you Bitch," younger James said.

**"Nothing, nothing..."**

**Dudley's birthday - how could he have forgotten? Harry got slowly out of bed and started looking for socks. He found a pair under his bed and, after pulling a spider**

"Did you have to mention the spider?" Ron shuddered.

Harry shrugged. They were getting closer, any second now.

**off one of them, put them on. Harry was used to spiders,**

Ron shuddered again.

**because the cupboard under the stairs was full of them,**

"What does tha' have to do with anything?" Fleur asked confused.

**and that was where he slept.**

"WHAT!?" older Lily shouted.

"I"M GOING TO KILL THEM!" older Sirius yelled.

"THOSE BASTARDS!" older James shouted.

"HOW DARE THEY!" Mrs. Weasley screamed.

"YOU SWORE HE WAS SAFE THERE!" McGonagall yelled at Dumbledore.

"WHAT WERE YOU THINKING LEAVING HIM THERE?!" Tonks sheirked.

"HARRY IS THE NICEST PERSON IN THE WORLD! HOW COULD YOU DO SOMETHING LIKE THAT?!" Alicia, Katie, and Angilina screamed.

"THAT'S CHILD ABUSE!" Hermione shouted.

"WHAT KIND OF PEOPLE COULD DO THAT!?" Ginny yelled.

"THEY DON'T DESERVE TO LIVE!" George and Fred shouted.

"I'M GOING TO SET MY DRAGONS ON THEM!" Charlie cried.

Everyone was yelling an shouting abuse at the Dursleys and Dumbledore, but the thing that shocked everyone the most is when Snape started yelling at Dumbledore.

"I TOLD YOU THEY WOULDN'T TAKE CARE OF HIM! I TOLD YOU TO LET LUPIN RAISE HIM! BUT YOU INSITIED THAT HE HAD TO GO THERE! THEY DIDN'T LOVE HIM! THEY DIDN'T TAKE CARE OF HIM!" Snape shouted.

Harry had had enough of this sent red sparks in the air with his wand. Everyone looked at him. "Hermione will you contiune reading please," Harry requested calmly.

"But Harry-"

"I'll read then," Harry said, reaching for the book.

**"When he was dressed he went down the hall into the kitchen. The table was almost hidden beneath all Dudley's birthday presents. It looked as though Dudley had gotten the new computer he wanted, not to mention the second television and the racing bike. Exactly why Dudley wanted a racing bike was a mystery to Harry, as Dudley was very fat and hated exercise - unless of course it involved punching somebody. Dudley's favorite punching bag was Harry,**

"Of course he was," older Sirius sighed.

**but he couldn't often catch him.**

"There's that at least," older Remus said.

**Harry didn't look it, but he was very fast.**

"It's true. Harry can run faster than anyone I know," Ron said. He knew his friend didn't like that everyone was thinking about him living in a cupboard. Ron, Fred, and George knew more about Harry's home life then anyone else because they were the ones that always seemed to come to his aid while he was there. Harry gave his best friend a smile.

**Perhaps it had something to do with living in a dark cupboard, but Harry had always been small and skinny for his age.**

"No that's just Potter genes," older Remus said.

"That and they all marry redheads," older Sirius laughed.

Older James stuck his tongue out at his friends.

The people from the past were still trying to deal with the fact that their best friends would die in a few years and Regulus and young Snape were always this quiet.

**He looked even smaller and skinnier than he really was because all he had to wear were old clothes of Dudley's,**

Insert growls here.

**and Dudley was about four times bigger than he was. Harry had a thin face, knobbly knees, black hair, and bright green eyes. He wore round glasses held together with a lot of Scotch tape because of all the times Dudley had punched him on the nose. **

More growls.

**The only thing Harry liked about his own appearance was a very thin scar on his forehead that was shaped like a bolt of lightning.**

"You liked it?" Neville asked in disbelieve.

"It was before I knew what it meant. I thought it was cool," Harry explained.

**He had had it as long as he could remember, and the first question he could ever remember asking his Aunt Petunia was how he had gotten it.**

**"In the car crash when your parents died," **

"YOU DIDN'T EVEN KNOW HOW WE DIED!?" older James was furoius. He was very protective of his "little fawn".

"Sorry," Harry whispered.

Older James eyes softened. "It's not your fault," he said.

Lily nodded, "We're just upset that you were not treated they way you needed to be."

Harry nodded. Older Lily and James exchanged a worried look.

Hermione slid the book out of Harry's hand.

**she had said. "And don't ask questions."**

"How are you suppose to learn?" Padma asked.

"I wasn't," Harry shrugged.

**Don't ask questions - that was the first rule for a quiet life with the Dursleys.**

"Harry," McGonagall said, "Is this why you don't ask many questions in class?"

Harry pretended not to hear her. Older James and Lily exchanged another look.

**Uncle Vernon entered the kitchen as Harry was turning over the bacon.**

**"Comb your hair!" he barked, by way of a morning greeting.**

"Not going to work," both sets of Marauders, older Lily, Ron, Harry, George, Fred, Mrs. Weasley, and Hermione said.

**About once a week, Uncle Vernon looked over the top of his newspaper and shouted that Harry needed a haircut. Harry must have had more haircuts than the rest of the boys in his class put**

**together, but it made no difference, his hair simply grew that way - all over the place.**

Older James grinned and ruffled Harry's hair. Harry smiled at the gesture. Younger James smirked and messed up his own hair.

**Harry was frying eggs by the time Dudley arrived in the kitchen with his mother. Dudley looked a lot like Uncle Vernon. He had a large pink face, not much neck, small, watery blue eyes, and thick blond hair that lay smoothly on his thick, fat head. Aunt Petunia often said that Dudley looked like a baby angel**

Harry, Ron, George, and Fred snorted.

**- Harry often said that Dudley looked like a pig in a wig.**

Everyone laughed.

**Harry put the plates of egg and bacon on the table, which was difficult as there wasn't much room. Dudley, meanwhile, was counting his presents. His face fell.**

**"Thirty-six," he said, looking up at his mother and father. "That's two less than last year."**

"That's more than I get," Regulus said in astoushment.

Both Sirius growled when Regulus said that.

**"Darling, you haven't counted Auntie Marge's present, see, it's here under this big one from Mommy and Daddy."**

**"All right, thirty-seven then," said Dudley, going red in the face. Harry, who could see a huge Dudley tantrum coming on, began wolfing down his bacon as fast as possible in case Dudley turned the table over.**

"Good idea," Ron nodded.

Harry rolled his eyes, as Hermione sighed. Ron and his food.

**Aunt Petunia obviously scented danger, too, because she said quickly, "And we'll buy you another two presents while we're out today. How's that, popkin? Two more presents. Is that all right''**

"Spoiled brat," Mrs. Weasley said.

**Dudley thought for a moment. It looked like hard work. Finally he said slowly, "So I'll have thirty ... thirty..."**

"He can't even add," Terry said.

"How thick can a person get?" Oliver said.

**"Thirty-nine, sweetums," said Aunt Petunia.**

"And the parents encourge this nosense," McGonagall said.

**"Oh." Dudley sat down heavily and grabbed the nearest parcel. "All right then."**

**Uncle Vernon chuckled. "Little tyke wants his money's worth, just like his father. 'Atta boy, Dudley!" He ruffled Dudley's hair.**

Young Sirius micked gagging.

**At that moment the telephone rang and Aunt Petunia went to answer it while Harry and Uncle Vernon watched Dudley unwrap the racing bike, a video camera, a remote control airplane, sixteen new computer games, and a VCR. He was ripping the paper off a gold wristwatch when Aunt Petunia came back from the telephone looking both angry and worried.**

**"Bad news, Vernon," she said. "Mrs. Figg's broken her leg. She can't take him." She jerked her head in Harry's direction.**

"He has a name," Luna suprisely snarled.

**Dudley's mouth fell open in horror, but Harry's heart gave a leap. Every year on Dudley's birthday, his parents took him and a friend out for the day, to adventure parks, hamburger restaurants, or the movies. Every year, Harry was left behind with Mrs. Figg, a mad old lady who lived two streets away. Harry hated it there. The whole house smelled of cabbage and Mrs. Figg made him look at photographs of all the cats she'd ever owned.**

"That sounds like so much fun," Lee said sarcastily.

"Loads," Harry said in the same voice Lee used.

**"Now what?" said Aunt Petunia, looking furiously at Harry as though he'd planned this. Harry knew he ought to feel sorry that Mrs. Figg had broken her leg, but it wasn't easy when he reminded himself it would be a whole year before he had to look at Tibbles, Snowy, Mr. Paws, and Tufty again.**

"Harry," Hermione scolded.

"Sorry," Harry muttered.

**"We could phone Marge," Uncle Vernon suggested.**

**"Don't be silly, Vernon, she hates the boy."**

"Isn't she the one?" Ron asked

"Yep," Harry laughed.

Almost everyone looked confused.

"Third year," Harry choked out between his laughter.

Hermione shock her head, but she was smiling.

**The Dursleys often spoke about Harry like this, as though he wasn't there - or rather, as though he was something very nasty that couldn't understand them, like a slug.**

**"What about what's-her-name, your friend - Yvonne?"**

"She's still friends with her?" younger Lily said in disgust.

**"On vacation in Majorca," snapped Aunt Petunia.**

**"You could just leave me here," Harry put in hopefully (he'd be able to watch what he wanted on television for a change and maybe even have a go on Dudley's computer).**

**Aunt Petunia looked as though she'd just swallowed a lemon.**

"She always looks like that," Harry laughed.

**"And come back and find the house in ruins?" she snarled.**

**"I won't blow up the house," said Harry, but they weren't listening.**

**"I suppose we could take him to the zoo," said Aunt Petunia slowly, "... and leave him in the car..."**

"He's not a dog," Ginny snapped.

**"That car's new, he's not sitting in it alone..."**

"Oh yeah, worry about the car," Susan said.

**Dudley began to cry loudly. In fact, he wasn't really crying - it had been years since he'd really cried - but he knew that if he screwed up his face and wailed, his mother would give him anything he wanted.**

**"Dinky Duddydums, **

Everyone was laughing.

**don't cry, Mummy won't let him spoil your special day!" she cried, flinging her arms around him.**

**"I... don't... want... him... t-t-to come!" Dudley yelled between huge, pretend sobs. "He always sp- spoils everything!" He shot Harry a nasty grin through the gap in his mother's arms.**

"Brat," was repeated.

**Just then, the doorbell rang - "Oh, good Lord, they're here!" said Aunt Petunia frantically - and a moment later, Dudley's best friend, Piers Polkiss, walked in with his mother. Piers was a scrawny boy with a face like a rat. He was usually the one who held people's arms behind their backs while Dudley hit them. Dudley stopped pretending to cry at once.**

"Can't cry in front of your friends," young Remus said.

"If they're your real friends you can," Harry said looking at Ron and Hermione.

Hermione and Ron beamed at him.

**Half an hour later, Harry, who couldn't believe his luck, was sitting in the back of the Dursleys' car with Piers and Dudley, on the way to the zoo for the first time in his life. His aunt and uncle hadn't been able to think of anything else to do with him, but before they'd left, Uncle Vernon had taken Harry aside.**

**"I'm warning you," he had said, putting his large purple face right up close to Harry's, "I'm warning you now, boy - any funny business, anything at all - and you'll be in that cupboard from now until Christmas."**

"You better not!" older Lily snarled.

George and Fred had gotten out a piece of parchment and began writing prank ideas on them.

**"I'm not going to do anything," said Harry, "honestly..**

**But Uncle Vernon didn't believe him. No one ever did.**

"Harry never lies, except about his own health. Then he always lies," Ron said.

Harry just grinned.

**The problem was, strange things often happened around Harry and it was just no good telling the Dursleys he didn't make them happen.**

"It's called magic!" George and Fred exclaimed.

"I know this now," Harry rolled his eyes.

**Once, Aunt Petunia, tired of Harry coming back from the barbers looking as though he hadn't been at all, had taken a pair of kitchen scissors and cut his hair so short he was almost bald except for his bangs, which she left "to hide that horrible scar." Dudley had laughed himself silly at Harry, who spent a sleepless night imagining school the next day, where he was already laughed at for his baggy clothes and taped glasses. Next morning, however, he had gotten up to find his hair exactly as it had been before Aunt Petunia had sheared it off He had been given a week in his cupboard for this,**

"He can't help it!" James cried.

**even though he had tried to explain that he couldn't explain how it had grown back so quickly.**

**Another time, Aunt Petunia had been trying to force him into a revolting old sweater of Dudley's (brown with orange puff balls) - **

"Ewww," everyone exclaimed.

**The harder she tried to pull it over his head, the smaller it seemed to become, until finally it might have fitted a hand puppet, but certainly wouldn't fit Harry. Aunt Petunia had decided it must have shrunk in the wash and, to his great relief, Harry wasn't punished.**

**On the other hand, he'd gotten into terrible trouble for being found on the roof of the school kitchens. Dudley's gang had been chasing him as usual when, as much to Harry's surprise as anyone else's, there he was sitting on the chimney.**

"You apparated!" Ron yelled.

"I flew," Harry said.

"He flew," older James and Lily said at the same time Harry did.

"How do you?" Harry asked his parents.

"We did the same thing," older James said.

Harry beamed.

**The Dursleys had received a very angry letter from Harry's headmistress telling them Harry had been climbing school buildings. But all he'd tried to do (as he shouted at Uncle Vernon through the locked door of his cupboard) was jump behind the big trash cans outside the kitchen doors. Harry supposed that the wind must have caught him in mid- jump.**

Everyone laughed.

"Really Harry?" George asked.

"I didn't know about magic," Harry answered, thought he too was laughing.

**But today, nothing was going to go wrong. It was even worth being with Dudley and Piers to be spending the day somewhere that wasn't school, his cupboard, or Mrs. Figg's cabbage-smelling living room.**

**While he drove, Uncle Vernon complained to Aunt Petunia. He liked to complain about things: people at work, Harry, the council, Harry, the bank, and Harry were just a few of his favorite subjects.**

"He must really like you Harry," Fred laughed.

"I really am his favorite person," Harry joked.

**This morning, it was motorcycles.**

"What's wrong with motorcycles?!" young Sirius cried.

"Shut up," Alice said.

**"... roaring along like maniacs, the young hoodlums," he said, as a motorcycle overtook them.**

"I definitly need a motorcycle now," young Sirius said.

"Yeah and we'll drive t past his house all night," young James agreed.

"On a full moon," young Remus added.

The young Marauders laughed, these people would pay for what they did to Harry.

**I had a dream about a motorcycle," said Harry, remembering suddenly. "It was flying."**

Everyone groaned.

"I was ten and innocent," Harry said.

That's when it hit older James, Lily, Sirius, and Remus. He was young, native, and innocent. Where did it go? What happened to him that made him so battle-worn.

**Uncle Vernon nearly crashed into the car in front. He turned right around in his seat and yelled at Harry, his face like a gigantic beet with a mustache: "MOTORCYCLES DON'T FLY!"**

**Dudley and Piers sniggered.**

**I know they don't," said Harry. "It was only a dream."**

**But he wished he hadn't said anything. If there was one thing the Dursleys hated even more than his asking questions, it was his talking about anything acting in a way it shouldn't, no matter if it was in a dream or even a cartoon - they seemed to think he might get dangerous ideas.**

"Harry," Fred started.

"What" George said.

"Are these cartoons?" they finished together.

"We'll watch some late," Harry told them.

The twins high-fived.

**It was a very sunny Saturday and the zoo was crowded with families. The Dursleys bought Dudley and Piers large chocolate ice creams at the entrance and then, because the smiling lady in the van had asked Harry what he wanted before they could hurry him away, they bought him a cheap lemon ice pop. It wasn't bad, either, Harry thought, licking it as they watched a gorilla scratching its head who looked remarkably like Dudley, except that it wasn't blond.**

Everyone laughed.

**Harry had the best morning he'd had in a long time. He was careful to walk a little way apart from the Dursleys so that Dudley and Piers, who were starting to get bored with the animals by lunchtime, wouldn't fall back on their favorite hobby of hitting him.**

Everyone growled.

**They ate in the zoo restaurant, and when Dudley had a tantrum because his knickerbocker glory didn't have enough ice cream on top, Uncle Vernon bought him another one and Harry was allowed to finish the first.**

**Harry felt, afterward, that he should have known it was all too good to last.**

Everyone groaned.

"Does anything every go right with you?" older Sirius asked.

"Nope," Harry replied popping the p.

**After lunch they went to the reptile house. It was cool and dark in there, with lit windows all along the walls. Behind the glass, all sorts of lizards and snakes were crawling and slithering over bits of wood and stone. Dudley and Piers wanted to see huge, poisonous cobras and thick, man-crushing pythons. Dudley quickly found the largest snake in the place. It could have wrapped its body twice around Uncle Vernon's car and crushed it into a trash can - but at the moment it didn't look in the mood. In fact, it was fast asleep.**

**Dudley stood with his nose pressed against the glass, staring at the glistening brown coils.**

**"Make it move," he whined at his father. Uncle Vernon tapped on the glass, but the snake didn't budge.**

**"Do it again," Dudley ordered. Uncle Vernon rapped the glass smartly with his knuckles, but the snake just snoozed on.**

**"This is boring," Dudley moaned. He shuffled away.**

Harry was pale. He was worried what Sirius, Remus, and his parents would think of him being a paraslemouth.

**Harry moved in front of the tank and looked intently at the snake. He wouldn't have been surprised if it had died of boredom itself - no company except stupid people drumming their fingers on the glass trying to disturb it all day long. It was worse than having a cupboard as a bedroom, where the only visitor was Aunt Petunia hammering on the door to wake you up; at least he got to visit the rest of the house.**

Everyone shock their head, only Harry would feel sorry for a snake.

**The snake suddenly opened its beady eyes. Slowly, very slowly, it raised its head until its eyes were on a level with Harry's.**

**It winked.**

**Harry stared. Then he looked quickly around to see if anyone was watching. They weren't. He looked back at the snake and winked, too.**

Everyone looked at Harry.

"Mate, your the only person I know that can have a conversation with a snake and not think it's werid," Ron laughed.

Harry shrugged.

**The snake jerked its head toward Uncle Vernon and Dudley, then raised its eyes to the ceiling. It gave Harry a look that said quite plainly:**

**"I get that all the time.**

**"I know," Harry murmured through the glass, though he wasn't sure the snake could hear him. "It must be really annoying."**

Older James looked at Harry's pale face.

"You know it doesn't matter to us that your a paraslemouth. We'll love you no matter what," older James comforted.

Older Lily nodded,"Your our son and we don't care what you do we'll always love you."

"That goes for Remus and I too," older Sirius said.

Harry looked at his godfather and smiled.

**The snake nodded vigorously.**

**"Where do you come from, anyway?" Harry asked.**

**The snake jabbed its tail at a little sign next to the glass. Harry peered at it.**

**Boa Constrictor, Brazil.**

**"Was it nice there?"**

**The boa constrictor jabbed its tail at the sign again and Harry read on: This specimen was bred in the zoo. "Oh, I see - so you've never been to Brazil?"**

**As the snake shook its head, a deafening shout behind Harry made both of them jump.**

"Snakes can jump?" Dennis said.

**"DUDLEY! MR. DURSLEY! COME AND LOOK AT THIS SNAKE! YOU WON'T BELIEVE WHAT IT'S DOING!"**

**Dudley came waddling toward them as fast as he could.**

"Don't insult penginns Harry," older Lily joked.

Everyone laughed.

**"Out of the way, you," he said, punching Harry in the ribs. Caught by surprise, Harry fell hard on the concrete floor. What came next happened so fast no one saw how it happened - one second, Piers and Dudley were leaning right up close to the glass, the next, they had leapt back with howls of horror.**

Everyone lauughed.

**Harry sat up and gasped; the glass front of the boa constrictor's tank had vanished. The great snake was uncoiling itself rapidly, slithering out onto the floor. People throughout the reptile house screamed and started running for the exits.**

**As the snake slid swiftly past him, Harry could have sworn a low, hissing voice said, "Brazil, here I come... Thanksss, amigo."**

Hermione had to stop reading so she could laugh.

**The keeper of the reptile house was in shock.**

**"But the glass," he kept saying, "where did the glass go?"**

"Into the non-being which is saying everything," Harry said remembering how McGonagall got into the Ravenclaw common room.

Everyone looked at Harry in shock.

**The zoo director himself made Aunt Petunia a cup of strong, sweet tea while he apologized over and over again. Piers and Dudley could only gibber. As far as Harry had seen, the snake hadn't done anything except snap playfully at their heels as it passed, but by the time they were all back in Uncle Vernon's car, Dudley was telling them how it had nearly bitten off his leg, while Piers was swearing it had tried to squeeze him to death. But worst of all, for Harry at least, was Piers calming down enough to say, "Harry was talking to it, weren't you, Harry?"**

"SHUT UP YOU PRAT!" Ginny yelled.

"Git," older Sirius muttered.

**Uncle Vernon waited until Piers was safely out of the house before starting on Harry. He was so angry he could hardly speak. He managed to say, "Go - cupboard - stay - no meals,"**

Everyone growled.

**before he collapsed into a chair, and Aunt Petunia had to run and get him a large brandy.**

**Harry lay in his dark cupboard much later, wishing he had a watch. He didn't know what time it was and he couldn't be sure the Dursleys were asleep yet. Until they were, he couldn't risk sneaking to the kitchen for some food.**

"So that's where they sneaking out habbit came from," Neville said.

Harry, Ron, and Hermione looked at him in shock.

"What? You thought we didn't notice that you three were always off somewhere," Dean said.

"That's an insult to our intelligence," Lavender said.

"Part of it. The other part is in the blood," Harry answered.

Almost everyone looked confused, except the ones in the room that knew the indentity of the Marauders.

**He'd lived with the Dursleys almost ten years, ten miserable years, as long as he could remember, ever since he'd been a baby and his parents had died in that car crash. He couldn't remember being in the car when his parents had died. Sometimes, when he strained his memory during long hours in his cupboard, he came up with a strange vision: a blinding flash of green light and a burn- ing pain on his forehead. **

"Good memory Potter," Moody commented.

**This, he supposed, was the crash, though he couldn't imagine where all the green light came from. He couldn't remember his parents at all. His aunt and uncle never spoke about them, and of course he was forbidden to ask questions. There were no photographs of them in the house.**

**When he had been younger, Harry had dreamed and dreamed of some unknown relation coming to take him away, but it had never happened;**

"Sorry Harry," older Sirius and Remus said.

**the Dursleys were his only family.**

"Not anymore," Harry said looking around the room.

Ron and Hermione hugged him.

**Yet sometimes he thought (or maybe hoped) that strangers in the street seemed to know him. Very strange strangers they were, too. A tiny man in a violet top hat had bowed to him once while out shopping with Aunt Petunia and Dudley. After asking Harry furiously if he knew the man, Aunt Petunia had rushed them out of the shop without buying anything. A wild-looking old woman dressed all in green had waved merrily at him once on a bus. A bald man in a very long purple coat had actually shaken his hand in the street the other day and then walked away without a word. The weirdest thing about all these people was the way they seemed to vanish the second Harry tried to get a closer look.**

**At school, Harry had no one. Everybody knew that Dudley's gang hated that odd Harry Potter in his baggy old clothes and broken glasses, and nobody liked to disagree with Dudley's gang**

"That's the end of the chapter," Hermione annouced.

_AN: Sorry it took so long to update. I've had a lot of school work and my friend's grandma died. Then I've been sick, so again sorry. Thanks to everyone that has reviewed,followed, or favorited! It means a lot! I work a lot faster when I see emails like that. Until next next time. _


	4. The Letters From No One

_Disclaimer: This has not changed since I last wrote this. I don't own Harry Potter._

"Who wants to read next?" Hermione asked.

"I will," Padma said raising her hand.

**"THE LETTERS FROM NO ONE"**

**The escape of the Brazilian boa constrictor earned Harry his longest-ever punishment. By the time he was allowed out of his cupboard again, the summer holidays had started**

"When is Dudley's birthday?" older Sirius asked.

"Early June," Harry answered.

Many people growled at this information.

**and Dudley had already broken his new video camera, crashed his remote control airplane, and, first time out on his racing bike, knocked down old Mrs. Figg as she crossed Privet Drive on her crutches.**

"Poor dear," Mrs. Weasley said.

**Harry was glad school was over, but there was no escaping Dudley's gang, who visited the house every single day. Piers, Dennis, Malcolm, and Gordon were all big and stupid, but as Dudley was the biggest and stupidest of the lot, he was the leader.**

"Well, that makes a lot of sense," young James said.

"That would be like making Wormtail the leader of the Marauders," young Sirius laughed.

Everyone growled at the mention of Pettigrew.

Everyone from the past looked confused.

"What did I say?" young Sirius asked.

Nobody answered him.

**The rest of them were all quite happy to join in Dudley's favorite sport: Harry Hunting.**

Everyone growls here.

**This was why Harry spent as much time as possible out of the house, wandering around and thinking about the end of the holidays, where he could see a tiny ray of hope. When September came he would be going off to secondary school and, for the first time in his life, he wouldn't be with Dudley.**

"You'll be going to Hogwarts!" old James exclaimed.

That's when young James started wondering if Harry played Quidditch.

"Hey, Harry," he called across the room.

Harry looked at young James.

"Do you play Quidditch?" young James asked.

Old James looked at Harry as well.

Harry thought this might be a good time to have a little fun.

"Quidditch? Why would I like Quidditch? It's boring and makes no sense," Harry replied, barely managing to contain a smirk.

Young James fell out of his seat and old James looked like somebody had clubbed him upside the head.

Everyone that knew Harry played Quidditch and knew how good he was tried not to brust out laughing.

**Dudley had been accepted at Uncle Vernon's old private school, Smeltings. Piers Polkiss was going there too. Harry, on the other hand, was going to Stonewall High,**

"No your going to Hogwarts," older Sirius said. Both James were trying to get over the shock that their son didn't play their favorite sport.

**the local public school. Dudley thought this was very funny.**

**"They stuff people's heads down the toilet the first day at Stonewall," he told Harry. "Want to come upstairs and practice?"**

**"No, thanks," said Harry. "The poor toilet's never had anything as horrible as your head down it - it might be sick."**

Everyone laughed.

"Harry," George choked out between his laughter.

"Why have we never," Fred contuined.

"Seen this side of you before?" they finished together.

"Because if I respect them I don't treat them poorly," Harry answered.

**Then he ran, before Dudley could work out what he'd said.**

**One day in July, Aunt Petunia took Dudley to London to buy his Smeltings uniform, leaving Harry at Mrs. Figg's. Mrs. Figg wasn 't as bad as usual. It turned out she'd broken her leg tripping over one of her cats, and she didn't seem quite as fond of them as before. She let Harry watch television and gave him a bit of chocolate cake that tasted as though she'd had it for several years.**

"How can somebody let something as delicous as chocolate go bad?" young Remus whined.

"Don't mind him, he has a bit of a chocolate addiction," young Sirius explained, while young Remus started making strange noises.

Tonks was laughing at the young version of her husband.

**That evening, Dudley paraded around the living room for the family in his brand-new uniform. Smeltings' boys wore maroon tailcoats, orange knickerbockers, and flat straw hats called boaters.**

Everyone was laughing at the image.

**They also carried knobbly sticks, used for hitting each other while the teachers weren't looking. This was supposed to be good training for later life.**

"Stupid is what it is," McGonagall said.

**As he looked at Dudley in his new knickerbockers, Uncle Vernon said gruffly that it was the proudest moment of his life.**

"Can't have had too many of those than have you," older Sirius laughed.

**Aunt Petunia burst into tears and said she couldn't believe it was her Ickle Dudleykins,**

"My sister is the worst Drama Queen there is," young Lily sighed.

"I know I've met her," Alice agreed, thinking of the few times she went to Lily's house over the summers.

**he looked so handsome and grown-up.**

"I doubt he was ever handsome," young Sirius laughed.

"Still isn't," Harry said.

Everyone laughed harder.

**Harry didn't trust himself to speak. He thought two of his ribs might already have cracked from trying not to laugh.**

**There was a horrible smell in the kitchen the next morning when Harry went in for breakfast. It seemed to be coming from a large metal tub in the sink. He went to have a look. The tub was full of what looked like dirty rags swimming in gray water.**

**"What's this?" he asked Aunt Petunia. Her lips tightened as they always did if he dared to ask a question.**

**"Your new school uniform," she said.**

"Eww," Pavarti cried.

**Harry looked in the bowl again.**

**"Oh," he said, "I didn't realize it had to be so wet."**

Everyone laughed.

**"Don't be stupid," snapped Aunt Petunia. "I'm dyeing some of Dudley's old things gray for you. It'll look just like everyone else's when I've finished."**

**Harry seriously doubted this, but thought it best not to argue.**

"There's a first," Hermione joked.

"I don't argue all the time," Harry said.

"Sure you don't," Ron said sarcasticly.

"I do not argue that much!" Harry shouted.

"Do too!" Ron and Hermione exclaimed.

"I do not argue a lot!" Harry shouted.

"Harry, look at what your doing right now," Ginny laughed.

Harry opened his mouth. Then realized what he was doing closed it.

"I hate all of you," he said.

Ginny pretended to pout.

"Except you," Harry smiled.

Ginny smiled.

Older James, Lily, Sirius and Remus exchanged a look.

"End of 4th year," Lily said.

"End of 5th year," Sirius disagreed.

"Beginning of 6th year," Remus whispered.

"Your all wrong, middle of 6th year," James said.

**He sat down at the table and tried not to think about how he was going to look on his first day at Stonewall High - like he was wearing bits of old elephant skin, probably.**

"For somebody that's not suppose to have imagation your is very vivid," Ernie laughed.

**Dudley and Uncle Vernon came in, both with wrinkled noses because of the smell from Harry's new uniform. Uncle Vernon opened his newspaper as usual and Dudley banged his Smelting stick, which he carried everywhere, on the table.**

**They heard the click of the mail slot and flop of letters on the doormat.**

**"Get the mail, Dudley," said Uncle Vernon from behind his paper.**

"THE WORLD IS ENDING!" young Sirius yelled.

"THE WORLD ENDED WHEN MY SON SAID HE DOESN'T PLAY QUIDDITCH!" young James shouted.

Everyone in the hall that knew how good Harry is at Quidditch had to work on not laughing again.

"SHUT UP! IT's JUST A GAME!" young Lily screamed.

"IT'S MORE THAN JUST A GAME IT'S A WAY OF LIFE!" young James shouted.

"WELL DID IT CROSS YOUR MIND THAT YOUR SON MIGHT FEEL BAD BECAUSE OF YOUR BEHAVIOR!?" young Lily screamed.

"How did they end up married?" Ron muttered to Harry.

"No idea. Sirius said they started dating in their seventh year and we got them from their sixth," Harry whispered.

"I never thought I would met somebody that fought more than Ron and I," Hermione said to Harry and Ron.

"Me either," Harry and Ron replied.

"IT'S QUIDDITCH! HOW CAN YOU THINK QUIDDITCH IS BORING!?"

"BOTH OF YOU SHUT UP!" Frank finally yelled.

Young Lily and James sat back down.

"Go on," young Remus said.

Harry, Ron, and Hermione kept sniggered.

**"Make Harry get it."**

"THE WORLD IS RIGHT AGAIN!" young Sirius yelled.

"NO IT'S NOT! MY SON STILL DOESN'T LIKE QUIDDITCH!" young James yelled.

"BLACK! YOU GOT HIM STARTED AGAIN!" young Lily screamed.

Older Lily and James were both red in the face at how their younger shelves were acting.

"SHUT UP! LILY! POTTER! THE TWO OF YOU ARE NOT ALLOWED TO TALK TO EACH OTHER! OR YELL! OR ARGUE! BLACK YOU ARE NOT ALLOWED TO YELL! GOT IT!" Alice shreiked.

Young James raised his hand.

"WHAT!?" Alice screamed.

"And if we don't?" young James asked.

Alice was shaking with rage.

"THEN I HEX YOU SO HARD YOU WILL NEVER BE ABLE TO HAVE CHILDREN!" Alice screamed.

Young James and Sirius nodded warily.

Harry opened his mouth to say something, thought better of it and shut it again.

**"Get the mail, Harry."**

**"Make Dudley get it."**

**"Poke him with your Smelting stick, Dudley."**

**Harry dodged the Smelting stick and went to get the mail. Three things lay on the doormat: a postcard from Uncle Vernon's sister Marge, who was vacationing on the Isle of Wight, a brown envelope that looked like a bill, and - a letter for Harry.**

"HOGWARTS!" Fred and George shouted.

**Harry picked it up and stared at it, his heart twanging like a giant elastic band. No one, ever, in his whole life, had written to him. Who would? He had no friends, no other relatives - he didn't belong to the library, so he'd never even got rude notes asking for books back. Yet here it was, a letter, addressed so plainly there could be no mistake:**

**Mr. H. Potter**

**The Cupboard under the Stairs**

**4 Privet Drive**

**Little Whinging**

**Surrey**

**The envelope was thick and heavy, made of yellowish parchment, and the address was written in emerald-green ink. There was no stamp.**

**Turning the envelope over, his hand trembling, Harry saw a purple wax seal bearing a coat of arms; a lion,**

The Gryffindors cheered.

**an eagle,**

The Ravenclaws cheered.

**a badger,**

The Hufflepuffs cheered.

**and a snake**

Everyone looked at old Snape, young Severus, and Regulus.

"What we're not that immature," Regulus said.

"It's house pride. Than again you have nothing to be proud of," Seamus said.

"I think Slytherin house has many things to be proud of," Harry said.

Dumbledore smiled.

Almost everyone looked at Harry like he was crazy.

**surrounding a large letter H.**

Everyone, but the Slytherins cheered.

**"Hurry up, boy!" shouted Uncle Vernon from the kitchen. "What are you doing, checking for letter bombs?" He chuckled at his own joke.**

"That's a joke?" young Remus looked insulted.

**Harry went back to the kitchen, still staring at his letter. He handed Uncle Vernon the bill and the postcard, sat down, and slowly began to open the yellow envelope.**

**Uncle Vernon ripped open the bill, snorted in disgust, and flipped over the postcard.**

**"Marge's ill," he informed Aunt Petunia. "Ate a funny whelk. -."**

**"Dad!" said Dudley suddenly. "Dad, Harry's got something!"**

Everyone groaned.

**Harry was on the point of unfolding his letter, which was written on the same heavy parchment as the envelope, when it was jerked sharply out of his hand by Uncle Vernon.**

**"That's mine!" said Harry, trying to snatch it back.**

**"Who'd be writing to you?" sneered Uncle Vernon, shaking the letter open with one hand and glancing at it. His face went from red to green faster than a set of traffic lights. And it didn't stop there. Within seconds it was the grayish white of old porridge.**

"Yuck!" Colin exclaimed.

"I'm never eating porridge again," Ron said looking sick.

"Sorry mate," Harry said cheerfully.

**"P-P-Petunia!" he gasped.**

**Dudley tried to grab the letter to read it, but Uncle Vernon held it high out of his reach. Aunt Petunia took it curiously and read the first line. For a moment it looked as though she might faint. She clutched her throat and made a choking noise.**

"Drama Queen," older Sirius muttered.

The young Lily, Sirius, and James were still to scared of Alice to speak.

**"Vernon! Oh my goodness - Vernon!"**

**They stared at each other, seeming to have forgotten that Harry and Dudley were still in the room. Dudley wasn't used to being ignored. He gave his father a sharp tap on the head with his Smelting stick.**

"If my children ever did that they would have been in so much trouble," Mrs. Weasley said.

**"I want to read that letter," he said loudly."I want to read it," said Harry furiously, "as it's mine."**

**"Get out, both of you," croaked Uncle Vernon, stuffing the letter back inside its envelope.**

**Harry didn't move.**

"Here comes the scary part," Hermione said.

"What do you mean?" Hannah asked.

"When Harry gets like that it means an explusion is coming," Ron explained knowingly.

**"I WANT MY LETTER!" he shouted.**

"See," Ron said

"My temper's not that bad," Harry said.

"Yes, it is," said everyone Harry had ever yelled at in the room.

**"Let me see it!" demanded Dudley.**

**"OUT!" roared Uncle Vernon, and he took both Harry and Dudley by the scruffs of their necks**

"Let go of him," old James growled.

**and threw them into the hall,**

"Were you okay?" older Lily asked.

Harry nodded.

"Good," older Lily smiled.

**slamming the kitchen door behind them. Harry and Dudley promptly had a furious but silent fight over who would listen at the keyhole;**

"GO HARRY!" the twins cheered.

**Dudley won,**

"Awww," the twins whined.

"He's three times my size," Harry explained.

**so Harry, his glasses dangling from one ear, lay flat on his stomach to listen at the crack between door and floor.**

"Better spot anyway," older James said knowingly.

**"Vernon," Aunt Petunia was saying in a quivering voice, "look at the address - how could they possibly know where he sleeps? You don't think they're watching the house?"**

"We should have to make sure Harry was treated better," Kingsley muttered.

**"Watching - spying - might be following us," muttered Uncle Vernon wildly.**

"If we were Harry would have been long gone from there," older Remus growled.

**"But what should we do, Vernon? Should we write back? Tell them we don't want -"**

**Harry could see Uncle Vernon's shiny black shoes pacing up and down the kitchen.**

**"No," he said finally. "No, we'll ignore it. If they don't get an answer... Yes, that's best... we won't do anything...**

"That won't work," Bill said.

**"But -"**

**"I'm not having one in the house, Petunia! Didn't we swear when we took him in we'd stamp out that dangerous nonsense?"**

"Stamp it out," older James said in a deadly voice.

Aberforth and Dumbledore both frooze. They both knew how danergous that could be.

"Harry," older Sirius said, "Did they ever hit you?"

"Not since I got to Hogwarts," was barely audibly.

Every window in the room shattered into a million pieces.

The hall was silence.

Everyone was planning the death of the Dursleys.

Harry tried of the quiet summoned the book and began reading. He shot Fred and George a look begging them to break the tention in the room. They both gave Harry a slight nod saying they understood and would try their best.

**That evening when he got back from work, Uncle Vernon did something he'd never done before; he visited Harry in his cupboard.**

"He could fit?" Fred asked.

"Only his head," Harry replied.

Ron realized what Harry was doing started laughing. George, Harry, and Fred joined in.

**"Where's my letter?" said Harry, the moment Uncle Vernon had squeezed through the door. "Who's writing to me?"**

**"No one. it was addressed to you by mistake," said Uncle Vernon shortly. "I have burned it."**

**"It was not a mistake," said Harry angrily, "it had my cupboard on it."**

**"SILENCE!" yelled Uncle Vernon, and a couple of spiders**

"What is with you and spiders," Ron demanded shuddering.

Harry shrugged, while Fred and George laughed.

**fell from the ceiling. He took a few deep breaths and then forced his face into a smile, which looked quite painful.**

"I hope it was," older James said.

**"Er - yes, Harry - about this cupboard. Your aunt and I have been thinking... you're really getting a bit big for it... we think it might be nice if you moved into Dudley's second bedroom.**

"Dudley had two bedrooms and you slept in a cupboard," older Lily asked dangerously.

Harry nodded slowly.

"I'M GOING TO KILL PETUNIA! I'LL MAKE IT AS PAINFUL AS POSSIBLE! SHE WILL WISH SHE WAS NEVER BORN!"

Older Lily shouted for ten minutes before she calmed down enough to stop. Her shouting help the tention in the room break.

**"Why?" said Harry.**

"Why were you questioning them?" Cho asked.

"Because they never did anything nice to me before and I don't trust them," Harry said.

"Good job Potter," Moody complemented.

**"Don't ask questions!" snapped his uncle. "Take this stuff upstairs, now."**

**The Dursleys' house had four bedrooms:**

"Four?" older Remus said.

**one for Uncle Vernon and Aunt Petunia, one for visitors (usually Uncle Vernon's sister, Marge), one where Dudley slept, and one where Dudley kept all the toys and things that wouldn't fit into his first bedroom. It only took Harry one trip upstairs to move everything he owned from the cupboard to this room. He sat down on the bed and stared around him. Nearly everything in here was broken. The month-old video camera was lying on top of a small, working tank Dudley had once driven over the next door neighbor's dog; in the corner was Dudley's first-ever television set, which he'd put his foot through when his favorite program had been canceled; there was a large birdcage, which had once held a parrot that Dudley had swapped at school for a real air rifle, which was up on a shelf with the end all bent because Dudley had sat on it. Other shelves were full of books. They were the only things in the room that looked as though they'd never been touched.**

"Because he's to stupid to read," Ron said.

"And that's being nice," Harry said.

**From downstairs came the sound of Dudley bawling at his mother, I don't want him in there... I need that room... make him get out..."**

**Harry sighed and stretched out on the bed. Yesterday he'd have given anything to be up here. Today he'd rather be back in his cupboard with that letter than up here without it.**

**Next morning at breakfast, everyone was rather quiet. Dudley was in shock. He'd screamed, whacked his father with his Smelting stick, been sick on purpose, kicked his mother, and thrown his tortoise through the greenhouse roof, and he still didn't have his room back.**

"If that was my child he would have gotten a good thrashing," Mrs. Weasley cried.

All the Weasley children squermed in their seat.

**Harry was thinking about this time yesterday and bitterly wishing he'd opened the letter in the hall. Uncle Vernon and Aunt Petunia kept looking at each other darkly.**

**When the mail arrived, Uncle Vernon, who seemed to be trying to be nice to Harry, made Dudley go and get it. They heard him banging things with his Smelting stick all the way down the hall. Then he shouted, "There's another one! 'Mr. H. Potter, The Smallest Bedroom, 4 Privet Drive -'"**

**With a strangled cry, Uncle Vernon leapt from his seat and ran down the hall, Harry right behind him. Uncle Vernon had to wrestle Dudley to the ground to get the letter from him, which was made difficult by the fact that Harry had grabbed Uncle Vernon around the neck from behind.**

Harry, Hermione, and Ron started laughing.

"Were you practicing?" Hermione asked.

"I guess so,"Harry choked out.

"What are you three on about?" young Remus asked.

"You'll see," Ron said.

**After a minute of confused fighting, in which everyone got hit a lot by the Smelting stick, Uncle Vernon straightened up, gasping for breath, with Harry's letter clutched in his hand.**

**"Go to your cupboard - I mean, your bedroom," he wheezed at Harry. "Dudley - go - just go."**

**Harry walked round and round his new room. Someone knew he had moved out of his cupboard and they seemed to know he hadn't received his first letter. Surely that meant they'd try again? And this time he'd make sure they didn't fail. He had a plan.**

"Harry whatever it is don't do it," Ron said.

"Why shouldn't he?" older Lily asked.

"Because all of Harry's plans are very, very, bad," Hermione said.

"You helped with most of them!" Harry pointed out.

Hermione stuck her tongue out at him.

**The repaired alarm clock rang at six o'clock the next morning. Harry turned it off quickly and dressed silently. He mustn't wake the Dursleys. He stole downstairs without turning on any of the lights.**

**He was going to wait for the postman on the corner of Privet Drive and get the letters for number four first. His heart hammered as he crept across the dark hall toward the front door -**

**Harry leapt into the air; he'd trodden on something big and squashy on the doormat**

"What is it?" Lavender squealed.

**- something alive!**

Many people gasped.

**Lights clicked on upstairs and to his horror Harry realized that the big, squashy something had been his uncle's face.**

Everyone started laughing

**Uncle Vernon had been lying at the foot of the front door in a sleeping bag, clearly making sure that Harry didn't do exactly what he'd been trying to do. He shouted at Harry for about half an hour**

Everyone stopped laughing.

**and then told him to go and make a cup of tea. Harry shuffled miserably off into the kitchen and by the time he got back, the mail had arrived, right into Uncle Vernon's lap. Harry could see three letters addressed in green ink.**

**I want -" he began, but Uncle Vernon was tearing the letters into pieces before his eyes. Uncle Vernon didnt go to work that day. He stayed at home and nailed up the mail slot.**

"That's not going to stop us from getting Harry his Hogwarts letter," Tonks said.

**"See," he explained to Aunt Petunia through a mouthful of nails, "if they can't deliver them they'll just give up."**

"No we won't," older Snape said.

**"I'm not sure that'll work, Vernon."**

"Listen to her, she knows more about this kind of thing than you do," younger Lily sighed.

**"Oh, these people's minds work in strange ways, Petunia, they're not like you and me,"**

"Thank Merlin," Pavarti breathed.

**said Uncle Vernon, trying to knock in a nail with the piece of fruitcake Aunt Petunia had just brought him.**

"That's odd," Luna said dreamily.

**On Friday, no less than twelve letters arrived for Harry. As they couldn't go through the mail slot they had been pushed under the door, slotted through the sides, and a few even forced through the small window in the downstairs bathroom.**

**Uncle Vernon stayed at home again. After burning all the letters, he got out a hammer and nails and boarded up the cracks around the front and back doors so no one could go out. He hummed "Tiptoe Through the Tulips" as he worked, and jumped at small noises.**

"He's mad. I mean he always was, but it's gotten worst," Ginny said.

**On Saturday, things began to get out of hand. Twenty-four letters to Harry found their way into the house, rolled up and hidden inside each of the two dozen eggs that their very confused milkman had handed Aunt Petunia through the living room window. While Uncle Vernon made furious telephone calls to the post office and the dairy trying to find someone to complain to, Aunt Petunia shredded the letters in her food processor.**

"Of course she did," Justin sighed.

**"Who on earth wants to talk to you this badly?"**

"Me," just about everyone in the room said.

**Dudley asked Harry in amazement.**

**On Sunday morning, Uncle Vernon sat down at the breakfast table looking tired and rather ill, but happy.**

**"No post on Sundays," he reminded them cheerfully as he spread marmalade on his newspapers,**

"That's not at all unusual," Alicia said.

**"no damn letters today -"**

**Something came whizzing down the kitchen chimney as he spoke and caught him sharply on the back of the head. Next moment, thirty or forty letters came pelting out of the fireplace like bullets. The Dursleys ducked, but Harry leapt into the air trying to catch one.**

"Why didn't you pick one off the floor?" Alice asked.

"Practicing," Harry replied simply.

"For what?" Frank asked confused.

"You'll see," Harry said.

Everyone who was confused by this statement sighed.

**"Out! OUT!"**

**Uncle Vernon seized Harry around the waist and threw him into the hall.**

Insert growls and threats toward the Dursleys here.

**When Aunt Petunia and Dudley had run out with their arms over their faces, Uncle Vernon slammed the door shut. They could hear the letters still streaming into the room, bouncing off the walls and floor.**

**"That does it," said Uncle Vernon, trying to speak calmly but pulling great tufts out of his mustache at the same time. I want you all back here in five minutes ready to leave. We're going away. Just pack some clothes. No arguments!"**

**He looked so dangerous with half his mustache missing that no one dared argue. Ten minutes later they had wrenched their way through the boarded-up doors and were in the car, speeding toward the highway. Dudley was sniffling in the back seat; his father had hit him round the head for holding them up while he tried to pack his television, VCR, and computer in his sports bag. **

"That man needs to be in a mental instution," Regulus sniggered.

"That's not funny," Neville said.

Regulus looked at him. "Who are you?"

"Neville Longbottom, son of Frank and Alice Longbottom."

Frank and Alice gasped.

"Well, what's not funny about it?" Regulus asked.

Neville opened his mouth, but looked like he was about to cry.

"Neville, it'll be explained in the books you don't have to say it," Harry said.

Neville nodded and Harry read on leaving most people very confused.

**They drove. And they drove. Even Aunt Petunia didn't dare ask where they were going. Every now and then Uncle Vernon would take a sharp turn and drive in the opposite direction for a while. "Shake'em off... shake 'em off," he would mutter whenever he did this.**

**They didn't stop to eat or drink all day. By nightfall Dudley was howling. He'd never had such a bad day in his life. He was hungry, he'd missed five television programs he'd wanted to see, and he'd never gone so long without blowing up an alien on his computer.**

"Welcome to Harry's life," Neville snarled.

**Uncle Vernon stopped at last outside a gloomy-looking hotel on the outskirts of a big city. Dudley and Harry shared a room with twin beds and damp, musty sheets. Dudley snored but Harry stayed awake, sitting on the windowsill, staring down at the lights of passing cars and wondering...**

"Wondering about what?" young Sirius asked.

Young Remus hit him upside the head. "He's thinking about the letters you twit."

**They ate stale cornflakes and cold tinned tomatoes on toast for breakfast the next day. **

Ron gagged.

**They had just finished when the owner of the hotel came over to their table.**

**"'Scuse me, but is one of you Mr. H. Potter? Only I got about an 'undred of these at the front desk."**

**She held up a letter so they could read the green ink address:**

**Mr. H. Potter**

**Room 17**

**Railview Hotel**

**Cokeworth**

**Harry made a grab for the letter but Uncle Vernon knocked his hand out of the way. The woman stared.**

**"I'll take them," said Uncle Vernon, standing up quickly and following her from the dining room.**

**Wouldn't it be better just to go home, dear?" Aunt Petunia suggested timidly, hours later, but Uncle Vernon didn't seem to hear her. Exactly what he was looking for, none of them knew. He drove them into the middle of a forest, got out, looked around, shook his head, got back in the car, and off they went again. The same thing happened in the middle of a plowed field, halfway across a suspension bridge, and at the top of a multilevel parking garage.**

**"Daddy's gone mad, hasn't he?" Dudley asked **

"Even he's noticed," Hermione exclaimed.

**Aunt Petunia dully late that afternoon. Uncle Vernon had parked at the coast, locked them all inside the car, and disappeared.**

**It started to rain. Great drops beat on the roof of the car. Dudley sniveled.**

**"It's Monday," he told his mother. "The Great Humberto's on tonight. I want to stay somewhere with a television. "**

**Monday. This reminded Harry of something. If it was Monday - and you could usually count on Dudley to know the days the week, because of television - then tomorrow, Tuesday, was Harry's eleventh birthday.**

"Happy Birthday, Harry!" everyone shouted.

**Of course, his birthdays were never exactly fun - last year, the Dursleys had given him a coat hanger and a pair of Uncle Vernon's old socks. Still, you weren't eleven every day.**

**Uncle Vernon was back and he was smiling. He was also carrying a long, thin package and didn't answer Aunt Petunia when she asked what he'd bought.**

**"Found the perfect place!" he said. "Come on! Everyone out!"**

**It was very cold outside the car. Uncle Vernon was pointing at what looked like a large rock way out at sea. Perched on top of the rock was the most miserable little shack you could imagine.**

"That's not safe," Mr. Weasley said.

**One thing was certain, there was no television in there.**

**"Storm forecast for tonight!" said Uncle Vernon gleefully, clapping his hands together. "And this gentleman's kindly agreed to lend us his boat!"**

**A toothless old man came ambling up to them, pointing, with a rather wicked grin, at an old rowboat bobbing in the iron-gray water below them.**

**"I've already got us some rations," said Uncle Vernon, "so all aboard!"**

**It was freezing in the boat. Icy sea spray and rain crept down their necks and a chilly wind whipped their faces. After what seemed like hours they reached the rock, where Uncle Vernon, slipping and sliding, led the way to the broken-down house.**

**The inside was horrible; it smelled strongly of seaweed, the wind whistled through the gaps in the wooden walls, and the fireplace was damp and empty. There were only two rooms.**

**Uncle Vernon's rations turned out to be a bag of chips each and four bananas. **

"That's hardly anything," Ron moaned.

**He tried to start a fire but the empty chip bags just smoked and shriveled up.**

**"Could do with some of those letters now, eh?" he said cheerfully.**

"Git," older Sirius said.

**He was in a very good mood. Obviously he thought**

"Since when can he think," older Remus remarked.

A few people laughed.

**nobody stood a chance of reaching them here in a storm to deliver mail. Harry privately agreed, though the thought didn't cheer him up at all.**

**As night fell, the promised storm blew up around them. Spray from the high waves splattered the walls of the hut and a fierce wind rattled the filthy windows. Aunt Petunia found a few moldy blankets in the second room and made up a bed for Dudley on the moth-eaten sofa. She and Uncle Vernon went off to the lumpy bed next door, and Harry was left to find the softest bit of floor**

Everyone growled and cursed the Dursleys.

**he could and to curl up under the thinnest, most ragged blanket.**

More growls.

**The storm raged more and more ferociously as the night went on. Harry couldn't sleep. He shivered and turned over, trying to get comfortable, his stomach rumbling with hunger. Dudley's snores were drowned by the low rolls of thunder that started near midnight. The lighted dial of Dudley's watch, which was dangling over the edge of the sofa on his fat wrist, told Harry he'd be eleven in ten minutes' time. He lay and watched his birthday tick nearer, wondering if the Dursleys would remember at all, wondering where the letter writer was now.**

**Five minutes to go. Harry heard something creak outside. He hoped the roof wasn't going to fall in, although he might be warmer if it did.**

Ron, George, and Fred laughed.

**Four minutes to go. Maybe the house in Privet Drive would be so full of letters when they got back that he'd be able to steal one somehow.**

**Three minutes to go. Was that the sea, slapping hard on the rock like that? And (two minutes to go) what was that funny crunching noise? Was the rock crumbling into the sea?**

**One minute to go and he'd be eleven. Thirty seconds... twenty ... ten... nine - maybe he'd wake Dudley up, just to annoy him - three... two... one...**

**BOOM.**

"What was that?" older Lily asked worriedly.

"You'll see," Harry was smiling.

**The whole shack shivered and Harry sat bolt upright, staring at the door. Someone was outside, knocking to come in.**

"Who?" Mr. Weasley asked.

"My first friend," Harry said sharing a look with Hagrid

"Who wants to read now?" Harry asked.

"I will," McGonagall said.

_AN: Thanks for all the reviews and such. It means the world to me. Sorry for the wait. _

_~ Pottergirl3333_


	5. The Keeper of the Keys

****_Disclaimer: I am not amazing enough to own Harry Potter._

**"THE KEEPER OF THE KEYS" **McGonagall read.

**BOOM. They knocked again. Dudley jerked awake. "Where's the cannon?" he said stupidly.**

Harry and the muggle-borns laughed.

**There was a crash behind them and Uncle Vernon came skidding into the room. He was holding a rifle in his hands - now they knew what had been in the long, thin package he had brought with them.**

**"Who's there?" he shouted. "I warn you - I'm armed!"**

**There was a pause. Then -**

**SMASH!**

"What happened?" young James asked.

"If you shut up we might find out," young Lily snapped.

**The door was hit with such force that it swung clean off its hinges and with a deafening crash landed flat on the floor.**

"What could do that?" Ginny asked.

"Not what, who," Harry corrected.

**A giant of a man was standing in the doorway. His face was almost completely hidden by a long, shaggy mane of hair and a wild, tangled beard, but you could make out his eyes, glinting like black beetles under all the hair.**

"Hagrid!" Lee, Fred, and George cried out.

**The giant squeezed his way into the hut, stooping so that his head just brushed the ceiling. He bent down, picked up the door, and fitted it easily back into its frame. The noise of the storm outside dropped a little. He turned to look at them all.**

**"Couldn't make us a cup o' tea, could yeh? It's not been an easy journey..."**

**He strode over to the sofa where Dudley sat frozen with fear.**

**"Budge up, yeh great lump," said the stranger.**

Everyone was laughing.

**Dudley squeaked and ran to hide behind his mother,**

"How could he fit behide her?" Charlie asked.

**who was crouching, terrified, behind Uncle Vernon.**

"Ah."

**"An' here's Harry!" said the giant.**

**Harry looked up into the fierce, wild, shadowy face and saw that the beetle eyes were crinkled in a smile.**

**"Las' time I saw you, you was only a baby," said the giant. "Yeh look a lot like yet dad, but yeh've got yet mom's eyes." **

"First time I ever heard that," Harry smiled.

**Uncle Vernon made a funny rasping noise.**

**I demand that you leave at once, sit!" he said. "You are breaking and entering!"**

**"Ah, shut up, Dursley, yeh great prune," said the giant;**

"Way to go Hagrid!" Dean cheered.

**he reached over the back of the sofa, jerked the gun out of Uncle Vernon's hands, bent it into a knot as easily as if it had been made of rubber,**

"Good one," Seamus laughed.

**and threw it into a corner of the room.**

**Uncle Vernon made another funny noise, like a mouse being trodden on.**

**"Anyway - Harry," said the giant, turning his back on the Dursleys, "a very happy birthday to yeh. Got summat fer yeh here - I mighta sat on it at some point, but it'll taste all right."**

**From an inside pocket of his black overcoat he pulled a slightly squashed box. Harry opened it with trembling fingers. Inside was a large, sticky chocolate cake with Happy Birthday Harry written on it in green icing.**

"Oh Hagrid," older Lily sighed.

"Thank you," older James said.

"It was nuthin," Hagrid waved away their thanks.

**Harry looked up at the giant. He meant to say thank you, but the words got lost on the way to his mouth, and what he said instead was, "Who are you?"**

"Harry, be polite," older Lily scolded.

"Yes, Mum," Harry said.

Lily beamed at him.

**The giant chuckled.**

**"True, I haven't introduced meself. Rubeus Hagrid, Keeper of Keys and Grounds at Hogwarts."**

**He held out an enormous hand and shook Harry's whole arm.**

**"What about that tea then, eh?" he said, rubbing his hands together. "I'd not say no ter summat stronger if yeh've got it, mind."**

"Hagrid," Mrs. Weasley cried.

Hagrid just shrugged.

**His eyes fell on the empty grate with the shriveled chip bags in it and he snorted. He bent down over the fireplace; they couldn't see what he was doing but when he drew back a second later, there was a roaring fire there. It filled the whole damp hut with flickering light and Harry felt the warmth wash over him as though he'd sunk into a hot bath.**

**The giant sat back down on the sofa, which sagged under his weight, and began taking all sorts of things out of the pockets of his coat: a copper kettle, a squashy package of sausages, a poker, a teapot, several chipped mugs, and a bottle of some amber liquid that he took a swig from before starting to make tea. Soon the hut was full of the sound and smell of sizzling sausage. Nobody said a thing while the giant was working, but as he slid the first six fat, juicy, slightly burnt sausages from the poker, Dudley fidgeted a little. Uncle Vernon said sharply, "Don't touch anything he gives you, Dudley."**

"Like Hagrid would gave him anything," Ginny said.

**The giant chuckled darkly.**

**"Yet great puddin' of a son don' need fattenin' anymore, Dursley, don' worry."**

**He passed the sausages to Harry, who was so hungry he had never tasted anything so wonderful, but he still couldn't take his eyes off the giant. Finally, as nobody seemed about to explain anything, he said, "I'm sorry, but I still don't really know who you are."**

**The giant took a gulp of tea and wiped his mouth with the back of his hand.**

**"Call me Hagrid," he said, "everyone does. An' like I told yeh, I'm Keeper of Keys at Hogwarts - yeh'll know all about Hogwarts, o' course.**

"No he doesn't," older James shock his head sadly.

**"Er - no," said Harry.**

**Hagrid looked shocked.**

**"Sorry," Harry said quickly.**

"Harry, don't be sorry it's not your fault," Alice said.

**"Sony?" barked Hagrid, turning to stare at the Dursleys, who shrank back into the shadows. "It' s them as should be sorry! I knew yeh weren't gettin' yer letters but I never thought yeh wouldn't even know abou' Hogwarts, fer cryin' out loud! Did yeh never wonder where yet parents learned it all?"**

**"All what?" asked Harry.**

**"ALL WHAT?" Hagrid thundered. "Now wait jus' one second!"**

**He had leapt to his feet. In his anger he seemed to fill the whole hut. The Dursleys were cowering against the wall.**

Everyone was waiting to see what Hagrid would do to the Dursleys.

**"Do you mean ter tell me," he growled at the Dursleys, "that this boy - this boy! - knows nothin' abou' - about ANYTHING?"**

**Harry thought this was going a bit far. He had been to school, after all, and his marks weren't bad.**

"Sorry, Harry," Hagrid said.

"Don't worry about Hagrid this was one of the best days of my life," Harry said smiling.

**"I know some things," he said. "I can, you know, do math and stuff." But Hagrid simply waved his hand and said, "About our world, I mean. Your world. My world. Yer parents' world."**

**"What world?"**

Many people growled at this statement.

**Hagrid looked as if he was about to explode.**

"Probably was, Hagrid is one person I never ever what to be on his bad side," Older Sirius said.

Everyone in the hall agreed with him.

**"DURSLEY!" he boomed.**

**Uncle Vernon, who had gone very pale, whispered something that sounded like "Mimblewimble." **

"Somebody's scared," older Remus commented.

**Hagrid stared wildly at Harry.**

**"But yeh must know about yet mom and dad," he said. "I mean, they're famous. You're famous."**

**"What? My - my mom and dad weren't famous, were they?"**

**"Yeh don' know... yeh don' know..." Hagrid ran his fingers through his hair, fixing Harry with a bewildered stare.**

**"Yeh don' know what yeh are?" he said finally.**

**Uncle Vernon suddenly found his voice.**

"That's not going to stop Hagrid," Lee laughed.

**"Stop!" he commanded. "Stop right there, sit! I forbid you to tell the boy anything!"**

**A braver man than Vernon Dursley would have quailed under the furious look Hagrid now gave him; when Hagrid spoke, his every syllable trembled with rage.**

**"You never told him? Never told him what was in the letter Dumbledore left fer him? I was there! I saw Dumbledore leave it, Dursley! An' you've kept it from him all these years?"**

**"Kept what from me?" said Harry eagerly.**

**"STOP! I FORBID YOU!" yelled Uncle Vernon in panic.**

**Aunt Petunia gave a gasp of horror.**

"Drama queen," young Severus muttered.

Regulus noddded.

**"Ah, go boil yet heads, both of yeh," said Hagrid. "Harry - yet a wizard."**

"That was blunt," younger Sirius said.

**There was silence inside the hut. Only the sea and the whistling wind could be heard.**

**"- a what?" gasped Harry.**

Everyone- except muggle-borns - laughed.

"I had the same reaction," Hermione said.

"I thought it was a prank at first," Justin shrugged.

**"A wizard, o' course," said Hagrid, sitting back down on the sofa, which groaned and sank even lower, "an' a thumpin' good'un, I'd say, once yeh've been trained up a bit. With a mum an' dad like yours, what else would yeh be?**

Older James and Lily beamed at Hagrid's words.

**An' I reckon it's abou' time yeh read yer letter."**

"About bloody time," older Sirius muttered.

**Harry stretched out his hand at last to take the yellowish envelope, addressed in emerald green to Mr. H. Potter, The Floor, Hut-on-the-Rock, The Sea. He pulled out the letter and read:**

**HOGWARTS SCHOOL of WITCHCRAFT and WIZARDRY**

**Headmaster: ALBUS DUMBLEDORE**

**(Order of Merlin, First Class, Grand Sorc., Chf. Warlock, Supreme Mugwump, International Confed. of Wizards)**

**Dear Mr. Potter,**

**We are pleased to inform you that you have been accepted at Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry. Please find enclosed a list of all necessary books and equipment.**

**Term begins on September 1. We await your owl by no later than July 31. Yours sincerely,**

**Minerva McGonagall,**

**Deputy Headmistress**

"It hasn't changed a bit," young James said.

**Questions exploded inside Harry's head like fireworks and he couldn't decide which to ask first.**

"I know the feeling," Dean grinned.

Harry grinned back.

**After a few minutes he stammered, "What does it mean, they await my owl?"**

The younger James, younger Sirius, George, Ron, Fred, Seamus and Charlie laughed.

Harry grinned sheepishly.

"That was your first question?" Neville asked shaking his head.

**"Gallopin' Gorgons, that reminds me," said Hagrid, clapping a hand to his forehead with enough force to knock over a cart horse, and from yet another pocket inside his overcoat he pulled an owl**

"He carries an owl in his pocket?" Terry said in disbelieve.

**- a real, live, rather ruffled-looking owl - a long quill, and a roll of parchment. With his tongue between his teeth he scribbled a note that Harry could read upside down:**

**Dear Professor Dumbledore,**

**Given Harry his letter.**

**Taking him to buy his things tomorrow.**

**Weather's horrible. Hope you're Well.**

**Hagrid**

"Only Hagrid," Charlie said fondly.

**Hagrid rolled up the note, gave it to the owl, which clamped it in its beak, went to the door, and threw the owl out into the storm. Then he came back and sat down as though this was as normal as talking on the telephone.**

**Harry realized his mouth was open and closed it quickly.**

**"Where was I?" said Hagrid, but at that moment, Uncle Vernon, still ashen-faced but looking very angry, moved into the firelight.**

**"He's not going," he said.**

"If you try and stop him..." older James trailed off dangerously.

**Hagrid grunted.**

**"I'd like ter see a great Muggle like you stop him," he said.**

Everyone laughed.

"Oh Hagrid," McGonagall said.

**"A what?" said Harry, interested.**

**"A Muggle," said Hagrid, "it's what we call nonmagic folk like thern. An' it's your bad luck you grew up in a family o' the biggest Muggles I ever laid eyes on."**

**"We swore when we took him in we'd put a stop to that rubbish," said Uncle Vernon, "swore we'd stamp it out of him! Wizard indeed!"**

Everyone growled again.

**"You knew?" said Harry. "You knew I'm a - a wizard?"**

"They knew," older Lily sighed.

Older James squeezed her hand under the table.

**"Knew!" shrieked Aunt Petunia suddenly. "Knew! Of course we knew! How could you not be, my dratted sister being what she was? Oh, she got a letter just like that and disappeared off to that-that school-and came home every vacation with her pockets full of frog spawn, turning teacups into rats. I was the only one who saw her for what she was - a freak! But for my mother and father, oh no, it was Lily this and Lily that, they were proud of having a witch in the family!"**

Younger Lily had started crying.

Alice pulled her best friend toward her and hugged her.

Older Lily just closed her eyes and let older James wrap an arm around her.

Harry was watching his parents closely. It was obvious that his mother never hated his father.

**She stopped to draw a deep breath and then went ranting on. It seemed she had been wanting to say all this for years.**

**"Then she met that Potter at school and they left and got married and had you, and of course I knew you'd be just the same, just as strange, just as - as - abnormal - and then, if you please, she went and got herself blown up and we got landed with you!"**

Hermione gasped, "That's how you found out. Oh, Harry" She hugged him.

Ginny had gotten up and was walking out of the room.

"Ginny, where are you going?" Mr. Weasley asked.

"To murder Harry's relatives," she answered calmly.

Harry jumped up and dragged her back to her seat.

"Harry James Potter! Let go of me!" Ginny yelled.

"Ginny, please, I can't loss you too," Harry pleaded.

Nobody heard him, but Ginny. She nodded and walked back to her seat.

Harry went to sit between his parents this time, which thrilled them.

**Harry had gone very white. As soon as he found his voice he said, "Blown up? You told me they died in a car crash!"**

Everyone growled at the lie.

**"CAR CRASH!" roared Hagrid, jumping up so angrily that the Dursleys scuttled back to their corner. "How could a car crash kill Lily an' James Potter? It's an outrage! A scandal! Harry Potter not knowin' his own story when every kid in our world knows his name!"**

"Didn't know you thought so much of us," older Lily smiled.

"Who didn't," Hagrid replied.

**"But why? What happened?" Harry asked urgently.**

**The anger faded from Hagrid's face. He looked suddenly anxious.**

**"I never expected this," he said, in a low, worried voice. "I had no idea, when Dumbledore told me there might be trouble gettin' hold of yeh, how much yeh didn't know. Ah, Harry, I don' know if I'm the right person ter tell yeh - but someone 3 s gotta - yeh can't go off ter Hogwarts not knowin'."**

"That would have been bad," Harry muttered.

Older James raised an eyebrow at this.

Harry noticed so he explained.

"Everywhere I go people stare at me. The talk about me behide my back. It's a bit annoying really."

**He threw a dirty look at the Dursleys.**

**"Well, it's best yeh know as much as I can tell yeh - mind, I can't tell yeh everythin', it's a great myst'ry, parts of it..."**

"I sometimes still wish it was," Harry said queitly.

Only, older Remus, older James, Ron, Hermione, older Lily, and older Sirius heard him. The adults that heard knew that Harry had learned of the prohcency.

**He sat down, stared into the fire for a few seconds, and then said, "It begins, I suppose, with - with a person called - but it's incredible yeh don't know his name, everyone in our world knows -"**

**"Who? "**

**"Well - I don' like sayin' the name if I can help it. No one does."**

**"Why not?"**

**"Gulpin' gargoyles, Harry, people are still scared. Blimey, this is difficult. See, there was this wizard who went... bad. As bad as you could go. Worse. Worse than worse. His name was..."**

**Hagrid gulped, but no words came out.**

"He's never going to say it Harry," Oliver said.

Harry smirked.

Oliver noticed, "Your kidding, you got Hagrid to say his name."

**"Could you write it down?" Harry suggested.**

**"Nah -can't spell it. All right - Voldemort. "**

Everyone was impressed by Harry over this.

**Hagrid shuddered. "Don' make me say it again. Anyway, this - this wizard, about twenty years ago now, started lookin' fer followers. Got 'em, too - some were afraid, some just wanted a bit o' his power, 'cause he was gettin' himself power, all right. Dark days, Harry. Didn't know who ter trust, didn't dare get friendly with strange wizards or witches... terrible things happened. He was takin' over. 'Course, some stood up to him - an' he killed 'em. Horribly. One o' the only safe places left was Hogwarts. Reckon Dumbledore's the only one You-Know-Who was afraid of. Didn't dare try takin' the school, not jus' then, anyway.**

All the people that had been at Hogwarts that past year shuddered.

**"Now, yer mum an' dad were as good a witch an' wizard as I ever knew. Head boy an' girl at Hogwarts in their day!**

"Still a mystery how that happened," older Sirius said.

Older James hit him upside the head.

"NO!" younger James shouted.

Younger Sirius was looking at younger James like he had some disease.

"NO! I WILL NOT BE HEAD BOY!" younger James shouted.

"I REFUSE TO WORK WITH POTTER! HE IS NOTHING BUT A BULLY!" younger Lily screamed.

"I CAN'T BELIEVE! MOONY BEING A PREFECT IS ONE THING, BUT PRONGS! I"M DISOWNNG YOU!" younger Sirius yelled.

"HE PICKS ON EVERYBODY!"

"I'LL DO WHATEVER IT TAKES JUST DON'T MAKE ME HEAD BOY!"

"I STILL DON'T SEE HOW I END UP MARRIED TO HIM!"

"THERE IS NO WAY PRONGS IS STILL A MARAUDER!"  
"HE PROBABLY FORCED ME INTO IT!"

"I WOULD NEVER DO SOMETHING LIKE THAT!"

"I KNOW YOU DID! I HATE YOU!"  
"HEY! SHUT UP ABOUT JAMES! HE WOULD NEVER DO THAT!"

"THERE IS NO OTHER REASON I WOULD MARRY YOU!"  
"I DON'T UNDERSTAND WHY HE FANCIES YOU, BECAUSE ALL YOU DO IS YELL AT HIM!"

"I'M NOT THAT BAD EVANS!"

Young Remus shot red sparks in the air to get everyone's attention.

"Can you shut up?" young Remus snapped.

While young Remus was trying to get the people from the past to calm down, older Lily and James were talking to Harry.

"Harry, please don't base us off our sixteen year shelves," older Lily pleaded.

"I'm not," Harry said.

Older Lily let out a sigh of relive.

"Why don't you seem suprised by all the fighting?" older James asked.

"Fifth year," Harry replied.

Young Remus had finally gotten everything straightened out with the past people so McGonagall kept reading.

**Suppose the myst'ry is why You-Know-Who never tried to get 'em on his side before... probably knew they were too close ter Dumbledore ter want anythin' ter do with the Dark Side.**

"He tried," older James muttered.

"He did?" Harry asked.

"Yeah, he said that he would overlook the fact that I was Muggle-born," older Lily explained.

Harry and older James both growled at that.

**"Maybe he thought he could persuade 'em... maybe he just wanted 'em outta the way.**

"He had a reason," Harry muttered darkly.

Older James and Lily felt their hearts break as Harry said that.

**All anyone knows is, he turned up in the village where you was all living, on Halloween ten years ago. You was just a year old. He came ter yer house an' - an' -"**

Many people were tearing up.

**Hagrid suddenly pulled out a very dirty, spotted handkerchief and blew his nose with a sound like a foghorn.**

**"Sorry," he said. "But it's that sad - knew yer mum an' dad, an' nicer people yeh couldn't find - anyway..."**

**"You-Know-Who killed 'em. An' then - an' this is the real myst'ry of the thing - he tried to kill you, too. Wanted ter make a clean job of it, I suppose, or maybe he just liked killin' by then.**

"No he was there for me," Harry muttered so only his parents, Ron, Hermione, older Sirius, and older Remus could hear him.

Older Lily hugged Harry closer to her.

**But he couldn't do it. Never wondered how you got that mark on yer forehead? That was no ordinary cut. That's what yeh get when a Powerful, evil curse touches yeh - took care of yer mum an' dad an' yer house, even - but it didn't work on you, an' that's why yer famous, Harry. No one ever lived after he decided ter kill 'em, no one except you, an' he'd killed some o' the best witches an' wizards of the age - the McKinnons,**

"NO!" younger Lily cried.

"MARLENE!" Alice screamed.

Frank was trying to comfort the two girls, but he was crying as well.

The young Marauders were close to Marlene. They had tears trailing down their faces.

**the Bones,**

The people from the past cried harder as the ones from the present bowed their heads in respect.

**the Prewetts**

And they cried harder.

**- an' you was only a baby, an' you lived."**

**Something very painful was going on in Harry's mind. As Hagrid's story came to a close, he saw again the blinding flash of green light, more clearly than he had ever remembered it before - and he remembered something else, for the first time in his life: a high, cold, cruel laugh.**

Older James pulled his son and wife as close to him as he could. The three had tears running down their faces.

Everyone looked away feeling like they were invading a privet moment.

**Hagrid was watching him sadly.**

**"Took yeh from the ruined house myself, on Dumbledore's orders. Brought yeh ter this lot..."**

Everyone glared at Dumbledore.

**"Load of old tosh," said Uncle Vernon. Harry jumped; he had almost forgotten that the Dursleys were there. Uncle Vernon certainly seemed to have got back his courage. He was glaring at Hagrid and his fists were clenched.**

**"Now, you listen here, boy," he snarled, "I accept there's something strange about you, probably nothing a good beating wouldn't have cured**

Everyone growled.

"You will never touch my son again," older Lily snarled.

"If you come anywhere near him..." Sirius let his threat trail off.

**- and as for all this about your parents, well, they were weirdos,**

"There is nothing wrong with my parents," Harry snapped.

**no denying it, and the world's better off without them in my opinion - asked for all they got, getting mixed up with these wizarding types - just what I expected, always knew they'd come to a sticky end -"**

Everyone in the room growled.

**But at that moment, Hagrid leapt from the sofa and drew a battered pink umbrella from inside his coat. Pointing this at Uncle Vernon like a sword, he said, "I'm warning you, Dursley -I'm warning you - one more word... "**

**In danger of being speared on the end of an umbrella by a bearded giant, Uncle Vernon's courage failed again; he flattened himself against the wall and fell silent.**

"Good," Ron muttered.

**"That's better," said Hagrid, breathing heavily and sitting back down on the sofa, which this time sagged right down to the floor.**

**Harry, meanwhile, still had questions to ask, hundreds of them.**

**"But what happened to Vol-, sorry - I mean, You-Know-Who?"**

"I forgot you used to not say his name," Ron laughed.

**"Good question, Harry. Disappeared. Vanished. Same night he tried ter kill you. Makes yeh even more famous. That's the biggest myst'ry, see... he was gettin' more an' more powerful - why'd he go?**

**"Some say he died. Codswallop, in my opinion. Dunno if he had enough human left in him to die. Some say he's still out there, bidin' his time, like, but I don' believe it. People who was on his side came back ter ours. Some of 'em came outta kinda trances. Don't reckon they could've done if he was comin' back.**

**"Most of us reckon he's still out there somewhere but lost his powers. Too weak to carry on. 'Cause somethin' about you finished him, Harry. There was somethin' goin' on that night he hadn't counted on - I dunno what it was, no one does - but somethin' about you stumped him, all right."**

**Hagrid looked at Harry with warmth and respect blazing in his eyes, but Harry, instead of feeling pleased and proud, felt quite sure there had been a horrible mistake. A wizard? Him? How could he possibly be? He'd spent his life being clouted by Dudley, and bullied by Aunt Petunia and Uncle Vernon; if he was really a wizard, why hadn't they been turned into warty toads every time they'd tried to lock him in his cupboard?**

"It doesn't work like that," Bill said.

**If he'd once defeated the greatest sorcerer in the world, how come Dudley had always been able to kick him around like a football?**

Growls here.

**"Hagrid," he said quietly, "I think you must have made a mistake. I don't think I can be a wizard."**

**To his surprise, Hagrid chuckled.**

**"Not a wizard, eh? Never made things happen when you was scared or angry?"**

**Harry looked into the fire. Now he came to think about it... every odd thing that had ever made his aunt and uncle furious with him had happened when he, Harry, had been upset or angry... chased by Dudley's gang, he had somehow found himself out of their reach... dreading going to school with that ridiculous haircut, he'd managed to make it grow back... and the very last time Dudley had hit him, hadn't he got his revenge, without even realizing he was doing it? Hadn't he set a boa constrictor on him?**

Everyone was smiling now.

**Harry looked back at Hagrid, smiling, and saw that Hagrid was positively beaming at him.**

**"See?" said Hagrid. "Harry Potter, not a wizard - you wait, you'll be right famous at Hogwarts."**

"Wish I wasn't," Harry whispered into his father's shoulder.

**But Uncle Vernon wasn't going to give in without a fight.**

**"Haven't I told you he's not going?" he hissed. "He's going to Stonewall High and he'll be grateful for it. I've read those letters and he needs all sorts of rubbish - spell books and wands and -"**

**"If he wants ter go, a great Muggle like you won't stop him," growled Hagrid. "Stop Lily an' James Potter' s son goin' ter Hogwarts! Yer mad. His name's been down ever since he was born. He's off ter the finest school of witchcraft and wizardry in the world. Seven years there and he won't know himself. He'll be with youngsters of his own sort, fer a change, an' he'll be under the greatest headmaster Hogwarts ever had Albus Dumbled-"**

**"I AM NOT PAYING FOR SOME CRACKPOT OLD FOOL To TEACH HIM MAGIC TRICKS!" yelled Uncle Vernon.**

"He's in for it now," Tonks laughed.

"He really is an idiot," Seamus cried.

**But he had finally gone too far. Hagrid seized his umbrella and whirled it over his head, "NEVER," he thundered, "- INSULT- ALBUS- DUMBLEDORE- IN- FRONT- OF- ME!"**

**He brought the umbrella swishing down through the air to point at Dudley - there was a flash of violet light, a sound like a firecracker, a sharp squeal, and the next second, Dudley was dancing on the spot with his hands clasped over his fat bottom, howling in pain. When he turned his back on them, Harry saw a curly pig's tail poking through a hole in his trousers.**

Everyone was laughing. Some people fell out of their seats into the floor.

"Best birthday ever," Harry smirked.

**Uncle Vernon roared. Pulling Aunt Petunia and Dudley into the other room, he cast one last terrified look at Hagrid and slammed the door behind them.**

**Hagrid looked down at his umbrella and stroked his beard.**

**"Shouldn'ta lost me temper," he said ruefully, "but it didn't work anyway. Meant ter turn him into a pig, but I suppose he was so much like a pig anyway there wasn't much left ter do."**

Everyone laughed even harder.

**He cast a sideways look at Harry under his bushy eyebrows.**

**"Be grateful if yeh didn't mention that ter anyone at Hogwarts," he said. "I'm - er - not supposed ter do magic, strictly speakin'. I was allowed ter do a bit ter follow yeh an' get yer letters to yeh an' stuff - one o' the reasons I was so keen ter take on the job**

**"Why aren't you supposed to do magic?" asked Harry.**

**"Oh, well - I was at Hogwarts meself but I - er - got expelled, ter tell yeh the truth. In me third year. They snapped me wand in half an' everything. But Dumbledore let me stay on as gamekeeper. Great man, Dumbledore." "Why were you expelled?"**

"Harry, that's rude," older Lily scolded.

Harry shrugged.

"Doesn't matter, Lily, nobody except Hagrid knows why he was expelled," older Sirius said.

Harry, Ron, and Hermione shared a smirk.

Older Sirius noticed.

"Is there anything you three don't know?" he asked.

"You tell us," Hermione said.

Older Sirius sighed.

**"It's gettin' late and we've got lots ter do tomorrow," said Hagrid loudly. "Gotta get up ter town, get all yer books an' that."**

**He took off his thick black coat and threw it to Harry.**

**"You can kip under that," he said. "Don' mind if it wriggles a bit, I think I still got a couple o' dormice in one o' the pockets."**

Dumbledore looked at the people that were in the final battle and saw how tried they looked so he suggested that they take a break so everyone could rest for two days. Harry, Ron, and Hermione looked especailly happy about this.

"Why? It's only ten in the morning?" older Sirius asked.

"Yes, but some of the people in the room have just gotten out of a hard battle when we started this. Those people need rest," Dumbledore said.

Sirius nodded and everyone agreed to be back in the great hall in two days time.

_AN: Thank-you for all the reviews, followers, and favorites. Also for those of you that pray please pray for my uncle. He's in the hospital and we don't know what's wrong with him. Thank-you! _


	6. Diagon Alley

When the two days were up everyone met up back in the great hall. Older Lily, older James, and Harry sent most the time together. Even though Harry slept most the time, whenever he had a nightmare his parents would wake him up at tell him everything is alright.

Harry knew he was going to miss that when they had to leave, but he had the memories.

Older James and Lily were worried about Harry's nightmares. They didn't think it was normal for some one to have so many.

When everyone was quiet and sitting Dumbledore asked who was going to read and young Remus was the one that decided to read.

**"DIAGON ALLEY"**

**Harry woke early the next morning. Although he could tell it was daylight, he kept his eyes shut tight.**

**"It was a dream, he told himself firmly. "I dreamed a giant called Hagrid came to tell me I was going to a school for wizards. When I open my eyes I'll be at home in my cupboard."**

"You are such a pesimest," Hermione said.

"You would be too if you lived my life," Harry mumbled.

**There was suddenly a loud tapping noise.**

**And there's Aunt Petunia knocking on the door, Harry thought, his heart sinking. But he still didn't open his eyes. It had been such a good dream.**

**Tap. Tap. Tap.**

**"All right," Harry mumbled, "I'm getting up."**

**He sat up and Hagrid's heavy coat fell off him. The hut was full of sunlight, the storm was over, Hagrid himself was asleep on the collapsed sofa, and there was an owl rapping its claw on the window, a newspaper held in its beak.**

**Harry scrambled to his feet, so happy he felt as though a large balloon was swelling inside him.**

"That's an odd thing to feel," Luna said dreamily.

**He went straight to the window and jerked it open. The owl swooped in and dropped the newspaper on top of Hagrid, who didn't wake up. The owl then fluttered onto the floor and began to attack Hagrid's coat.**

**"Don't do that."**

**Harry tried to wave the owl out of the way, but it snapped its beak fiercely at him and carried on savaging the coat.**

**"Hagrid!" said Harry loudly. "There's an owl**

**"Pay him," Hagrid grunted into the sofa.**

"Hagrid, he doesn't know our money system," Mrs. Weasley fretted.

**"What?"**

**"He wants payin' fer deliverin' the paper. Look in the pockets." Hagrid's coat seemed to be made of nothing but pockets - bunches of keys, slug pellets, balls of string, peppermint humbugs, teabags**

"Why do you need all that?" Katie asked.

"Different reasons," Hagrid shrugged.

**... finally, Harry pulled out a handful of strange-looking coins.**

**"Give him five Knuts," said Hagrid sleepily.**

"He doesn't know what they are," Mrs. Weasley repeated.

**"Knuts?"**

**"The little bronze ones."**

**Harry counted out five little bronze coins, and the owl held out his leg so Harry could put the money into a small leather pouch tied to it. Then he flew off through the open window.**

**Hagrid yawned loudly, sat up, and stretched.**

"What was the point of making Harry pay the owl if you were going to get up?" Micheal asked.

"It was a good learning experence," Harry snapped, he hadn't liked Micheal much since he started liking Ginny.

**"Best be Off, Harry, lots ter do today, gotta get up ter London an' buy all yer stuff fer school."**

**Harry was turning over the wizard coins and looking at them. He had just thought of something that made him feel as though the happy balloon inside him had got a puncture.**

Everyone looked confused.

"Your stomatch does interesting things Harry," Luna commented.

**"Um - Hagrid?"**

**"Mm?" said Hagrid, who was pulling on his huge boots.**

**"I haven't got any money**

"You have plenty of money," young James said.

"I know that now," Harry rolled his eyes.

**- and you heard Uncle Vernon last night ... he won't pay for me to go and learn magic."**

**"Don't worry about that," said Hagrid, standing up and scratching his head. "D'yeh think yer parents didn't leave yeh anything?"**

**"But if their house was destroyed -"**

Everyone laughed.

"Nobody keeps money in their house," young Severus said.

**"They didn' keep their gold in the house, boy! Nah, first stop fer us is Gringotts. Wizards' bank. Have a sausage, they're not bad cold - an' I wouldn' say no teh a bit o' yer birthday cake, neither."**

**"Wizards have banks?"**

**"Just the one. Gringotts. Run by goblins."**

**Harry dropped the bit of sausage he was holding.**

"Why?" Ernie asked.

**"Goblins?"**

"Oh."

**"Yeah - so yeh'd be mad ter try an' rob it,**

"Barking," Neville laughed.

"Insane," Dean agreed.

"Metal," Seamus smirked.

Older Remus was wondering if the rumors of Harry, Ron, and Hermione breaking into Gringotts were true.

"Does anyone else have the feeling that their missing something," older Sirius asked.

Older James and Lily nodded looking very confused.

**I'll tell yeh that. Never mess with goblins,**

"Yeah, Harry it's crazy," Fred joked.

"I wouldn't advise it," George said.

**Harry. Gringotts is the safest place in the world fer anything yeh want ter keep safe - 'cept maybe Hogwarts. As a matter o' fact, I gotta visit Gringotts anyway. Fer Dumbledore. Hogwarts business." Hagrid drew himself up proudly. "He usually gets me ter do important stuff fer him. Fetchin' you gettin' things from Gringotts - knows he can trust me, see.**

**"Got everythin'? Come on, then."**

**Harry followed Hagrid out onto the rock. The sky was quite clear now and the sea gleamed in the sunlight. The boat Uncle Vernon had hired was still there, with a lot of water in the bottom after the storm.**

**"How did you get here?" Harry asked, looking around for another boat. "Flew," said Hagrid.**

**"Flew?"**

**"Yeah - but we'll go back in this. Not s'pposed ter use magic now I've got yeh."**

**They settled down in the boat, Harry still staring at Hagrid, trying to imagine him flying.**

Everyone else was doing the same thing.

**"Seems a shame ter row, though," said Hagrid, giving Harry another of his sideways looks. "If I was ter - er - speed things up a bit, would yeh mind not mentionin' it at Hogwarts?"**

**"Of course not," said Harry, eager to see more magic.**

"I felt the same when I first found out," older Lily smiled.

**Hagrid pulled out the pink umbrella again, tapped it twice on the side of the boat, and they sped off toward land.**

**"Why would you be mad to try and rob Gringotts?" Harry asked.**

The D.A started laughing becasue they were the only ones who knew for sure that Harry had broken in to Gringotts.

**"Spells - enchantments," said Hagrid, unfolding his newspaper as he spoke. "They say there's dragons guardin' the highsecurity vaults.**

"There better not be," Charlie growled.

**And then yeh gotta find yer way - Gringotts is hundreds of miles under London, see. Deep under the Underground. Yeh'd die of hunger tryin' ter get out,**

"See another reason not to break in to Gringotts," Justin grinned.

**even if yeh did manage ter get yer hands on summat."**

"Wouldn't be so sure of that," Ron muttered, making Harry and Hermione (they were sitting beside each other, older James, older Lily, older Sirius, and older Remus are sitting across from them) laugh.

**Harry sat and thought about this while Hagrid read his newspaper, the Daily Prophet. Harry had learned from Uncle Vernon that people liked to be left alone while they did this, but it was very difficult, he'd never had so many questions in his life.**

"You could have asked me questions Harry," Hagrid said.

"It was kind of a force of habit not to," Harry shrugged.

**"Ministry o' Magic messin' things up as usual," Hagrid muttered, turning the page.**

"The ministry isn't that bad," Frank said.

Harry laughed.

"Yeah sending people to Azkaban with out trails, not listening to the truth, treating House-elfs bad. Yeah, the ministry is great," Hermione said sarcasticly.

**"There's a Ministry of Magic?" Harry asked, before he could stop himself.**

**"'Course," said Hagrid. "They wanted Dumbledore fer Minister, **

"Wish he was," Ron said.

**0 ' course, but he'd never leave Hogwarts, so old Cornelius Fudge got the job. Bungler if ever there was one.**

"That's an understatement," older Sirius said.

**So he pelts Dumbledore with owls every morning, askin' fer advice."**

**"But what does a Ministry of Magic do?"**

**"Well, their main job is to keep it from the Muggles that there's still witches an' wizards up an' down the country."**

**"Why?"**

**"Why? Blimey, Harry, everyone'd be wantin' magic solutions to their problems. Nah, we're best left alone."**

**At this moment the boat bumped gently into the harbor wall. Hagrid folded up his newspaper, and they clambered up the stone steps onto the street.**

**Passersby stared a lot at Hagrid as they walked through the little town to the station. Harry couldn't blame them. Not only was Hagrid twice as tall as anyone else, he kept pointing at perfectly ordinary things like parking meters and saying loudly, "See that, Harry? Things these Muggles dream up, eh?"**

"Hagrid!" McGonagall cried.

Hagrid smiled sheepishly.

**"Hagrid," said Harry, panting a bit as he ran to keep up, "did you say there are dragons at Gringotts?"**

**"Well, so they say," said Hagrid. "Crikey, I'd like a dragon."**

Hermione, Ron, and Harry all groaned as they remembered Norbert.

Everyone looked at them curiously.

**"You'd like one?"**

"Who wouldn't ?" Charlie said.

**"Wanted one ever since I was a kid - here we go."**

**They had reached the station. There was a train to London in five minutes' time. Hagrid, who didn't understand "Muggle money," as he called it, gave the bills to Harry so he could buy their tickets.**

**People stared more than ever on the train. Hagrid took up two seats and sat knitting what looked like a canary-yellow circus tent.**

Everyone sniggered.

**"Still got yer letter, Harry?" he asked as he counted stitches. Harry took the parchment envelope out of his pocket.**

**"Good," said Hagrid. "There's a list there of everything yeh need."**

**Harry unfolded a second piece of paper he hadn't noticed the night before, and read:**

**HOGWARTS SCHOOL of WITCHCRAFT and WIZARDRY**

**UNIFORM**

**First-year students will require:**

**1. Three sets of plain work robes (black)**

**2. One plain pointed hat (black) for day wear**

"Why do we need those we never wear them?" George asked.

"Tradition," McGongall answered.

"Stupid," Fred muttered.

Everyone that heard him nodded.

**3. One pair of protective gloves (dragon hide or similar)**

**4. One winter cloak (black, silver fastenings)**

**Please note that all pupils' clothes should carry name tags**

"That's stupid. Who would lose there clothes?" Micheal asked, shaking his head.

Both Remuses, and Siriuses started laughing uncontrollably. Both Jameses went beet red.

Harry looked at them questionably.

"In fifth year," older Remus choked out, before older James silenced him.

"Prongs went swimming," young Sirius got out before young James silenced him.

"And somebody," older Sirius laughed, when he got silenced as well.

"Stole his clothes," younger Remus said quickly, before he got silenced too.

Everyone was now laughing.

Nobody noticed how both Lilies were blushing.

**COURSE BOOKS**

**All students should have a copy of each of the following:**

**The Standard Book of Spells (Grade 1) by Miranda Goshawk**

"Your still using that," young James said in shock.

**A History of Magic by Bathilda Bagshot**

"Like anyone reads it," George whispered.

**Magical Theory by Adalbert Waffling**

"That's a new one," Alice said.

**A Beginners' Guide to Transfiguration by Emetic Switch**

"Do you ever change?" young Sirius asked.

**One Thousand Magical Herbs and Fungi by Phyllida Spore**

**Magical Drafts and Potions by Arsenius Jigger**

"That sounds like an interesting read," older Lily said.

**Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them by Newt Scamander**

**The Dark Forces: A Guide to Self-Protection by Quentin Trimble**

**OTHER EQUIPMENT**

**wand cauldron (pewter, standard size 2) set**

**glass or crystal phials**

**telescope set**

**brass scales**

**Students may also bring an owl OR a cat OR a toad**

**PARENTS ARE REMINDED THAT FIRST YEARS ARE NOT ALLOWED THEIR OWN BROOMSTICKS**

"I've always hated that rule," older James muttered

Harry fought hard to hide his smirk.

"I think somebody didn't read the rules very well," Hannah sang out.

Everyone who knew Harry's quidditch abilities had to try hard not to laugh.

**"Can we buy all this in London?" Harry wondered aloud.**

**"If yeh know where to go," said Hagrid.**

**Harry had never been to London before.**

Everyone growls.

**Although Hagrid seemed to know where he was going, he was obviously not used to getting there in an ordinary way. He got stuck in the ticket barrier on the Underground, and complained loudly that the seats were too small and the trains too slow.**

**"I don't know how the Muggles manage without magic,"**

"Since they don't know about it, they can live pretty easily without it," young Lily said.

**he said as they climbed a broken-down escalator that led up to a bustling road lined with shops.**

**Hagrid was so huge that he parted the crowd easily; all Harry had to do was keep close behind him. They passed book shops and music stores, hamburger restaurants and cinemas, **

Most of the pure-bloods looked confused.

**but nowhere that looked as if it could sell you a magic wand. This was just an ordinary street full of ordinary people. Could there really be piles of wizard gold buried miles beneath them? Were there really shops that sold spell books and broomsticks? Might this not all be some huge joke that the Dursleys had cooked up?**

"They don't even have a sense of humor," young Sirius scoffed.

**If Harry hadn't known that the Dursleys had no sense of humor, he might have thought so; yet somehow, even though everything Hagrid had told him so far was unbelievable, Harry couldn't help trusting him.**

Hagrid beamed.

"I know what you mean," older James said.

Hagrid beamed even more.

**"This is it," said Hagrid, coming to a halt, "the Leaky Cauldron. It's a famous place."**

**It was a tiny, grubby-looking pub. If Hagrid hadn't pointed it out, Harry wouldn't have noticed it was there. The people hurrying by didn't glance at it. Their eyes slid from the big book shop on one side to the record shop on the other as if they couldn't see the Leaky Cauldron at all. In fact, Harry had the most peculiar feeling that only he and Hagrid could see it.**

"Because you're the only people that can," Regulus said as if it was obivous.

Both Siriuses growled.

**Before he could mention this, Hagrid had steered him inside.**

**For a famous place, it was very dark and shabby. A few old women were sitting in a corner, drinking tiny glasses of sherry. One of them was smoking a long pipe. A little man in a top hat was talking to the old bartender, who was quite bald and looked like a toothless walnut. The low buzz of chatter stopped when they walked in. Everyone seemed to know Hagrid; they waved and smiled at him, and the bartender reached for a glass, saying, "The usual, Hagrid?"**

**"Can't, Tom, I'm on Hogwarts business," said Hagrid, clapping his great hand on Harry's shoulder and making Harry's knees buckle.**

"I'm sorry Harry," Hagrid looked terrible.

**"Good Lord," said the bartender, peering at Harry, "is this - can this be -?"**

**The Leaky Cauldron had suddenly gone completely still and silent.**

"Woah," Frank said.

"It's never gone completely silent," young Sirius said in aw.

Even young Severus and Regulus looked shocked.

**"Bless my soul," whispered the old bartender, "Harry Potter... what an honor."**

**He hurried out from behind the bar, rushed toward Harry and seized his hand, tears in his eyes.**

**"Welcome back, Mr. Potter, welcome back."**

**Harry didn't know what to say. Everyone was looking at him. The old woman with the pipe was puffing on it without realizing it had gone out. Hagrid was beaming.**

**Then there was a great scraping of chairs and the next moment, Harry found himself shaking hands with everyone in the Leaky Cauldron.**

"That would be so cool," young Sirius said.

"No it's not," Harry replied.

**"Doris Crockford, Mr. Potter, can't believe I'm meeting you at last."**

**"So proud, Mr. Potter, I'm just so proud."**

**"Always wanted to shake your hand - I'm all of a flutter."**

**"Delighted, Mr. Potter, just can't tell you, Diggle's the name, Dedalus Diggle."**

**"I've seen you before!" said Harry, as Dedalus Diggle's top hat fell off in his excitement. "You bowed to me once in a shop."**

"That'll make his day, older Remus muttered, making older Sirius laugh.

**"He remembers!" cried Dedalus Diggle, looking around at everyone. "Did you hear that? He remembers me!" Harry shook hands again and again - Doris Crockford kept coming back for more.**

"Talk about annoying," Harry said.

Older Snape was starting to realize that Harry wasn't as bad as he thought.

**A pale young man made his way forward, very nervously. One of his eyes was twitching.**

"Faker," Harry growled.

**"Professor Quirrell!" said Hagrid. "Harry, Professor Quirrell will be one of your teachers at Hogwarts."**

"And some one to attempt murder on Harry," Hermione whispered for only Harry and Ron to hear.

**"P-P-Potter," stammered Professor Quirrell, grasping Harry's hand, "c-can't t-tell you how p- pleased I am to meet you."**

"So you could plot to kill him," Ron muttered darkly, lucky on Harry and Hermione heard him.

**"What sort of magic do you teach, Professor Quirrell?"**

"Nothing," Lee snorted, "He was a terrible teacher."

**"D-Defense Against the D-D-Dark Arts," muttered Professor Quirrell, as though he'd rather not think about it. "N-not that you n-need it, eh, P-P-Potter?"**

Harry looked disgusted.

**He laughed nervously. "You'll be g-getting all your equipment, I suppose? I've g-got to p-pick up a new b-book on vampires, m-myself."**

"And meanwhile I'll break into Gringotts," Harry said to Ron and Hermione.

**He looked terrified at the very thought.**

"I'd be terrified of my own head if I were him," Ron said to Harry and Hermione.

The two nodded in agreement.

**But the others wouldn't let Professor Quirrell keep Harry to himself. It took almost ten minutes to get away from them all. At last, Hagrid managed to make himself heard over the babble.**

**"Must get on - lots ter buy. Come on, Harry."**

**Doris Crockford shook Harry's hand one last time, and Hagrid led them through the bar and out into a small, walled courtyard, where there was nothing but a trash can and a few weeds.**

**Hagrid grinned at Harry.**

**"Told yeh, didn't I? Told yeh you was famous. Even Professor Quirrell was tremblin' ter meet yeh - mind you, he's usually tremblin'."**

"I would be too," Ron whispered.

**"Is he always that nervous?**

**"Oh, yeah. Poor bloke. Brilliant mind. He was fine while he was studyin' outta books but then he took a year off ter get some firsthand experience... They say he met vampires in the Black Forest, and there was a nasty bit o' trouble with a hag - never been the same since. Scared of the students, scared of his own subject now, where's me umbrella?"**

"More like he ran into Riddle," Harry muttered.

**Vampires? Hags? Harry's head was swimming.**

"How can it swim if its not in water?" Luna asked.

**Hagrid, meanwhile, was counting bricks in the wall above the trash can.**

**"Three up... two across," he muttered. "Right, stand back, Harry."**

**He tapped the wall three times with the point of his umbrella.**

**The brick he had touched quivered - it wriggled - in the middle, a small hole appeared - it grew wider and wider - a second later they were facing an archway large enough even for Hagrid, an archway onto a cobbled street that twisted and turned out of sight.**

Everyone was grinning thinking of their first trip to the place.

**"Welcome," said Hagrid, "to Diagon Alley."**

**He grinned at Harry's amazement. They stepped through the archway. Harry looked quickly over his shoulder and saw the archway shrink instantly back into solid wall.**

**The sun shone brightly on a stack of cauldrons outside the nearest shop. Cauldrons - All Sizes - Copper, Brass, Pewter, Silver - Self-Stirring - Collapsible, said a sign hanging over them.**

**"Yeah, you'll be needin' one," said Hagrid, "but we gotta get yer money first."**

**Harry wished he had about eight more eyes. He turned his head in every direction as they walked up the street, trying to look at everything at once: the shops, the things outside them, the people doing their shopping. A plump woman outside an Apothecary was shaking her head as they passed, saying, "Dragon liver, seventeen Sickles an ounce, they're mad..."**

**A low, soft hooting came from a dark shop with a sign saying Eeylops Owl Emporium - Tawny, Screech, Barn, Brown, and Snowy. Several boys of about Harry's age had their noses pressed against a window with broomsticks in it. "Look," Harry heard one of them say, "the new Nimbus Two Thousand - fastest ever -"**

Old James moaned. Young James was drooling on Alice's robes.

"EWW!" she shouted.

**There were shops selling robes, shops selling telescopes and strange silver instruments Harry had never seen before, windows stacked with barrels of bat spleens and eels' eyes, tottering piles of spell books, quills, and rolls of parchment, potion bottles, globes of the moon...**

**"Gringotts," said Hagrid.**

**They had reached a snowy white building that towered over the other little shops. Standing beside its burnished bronze doors, wearing a uniform of scarlet and gold, was -**

**"Yeah, that's a goblin," said Hagrid quietly as they walked up the white stone steps toward him. The goblin was about a head shorter than Harry. He had a swarthy, clever face, a pointed beard and, Harry noticed, very long fingers and feet. He bowed as they walked inside. Now they were facing a second pair of doors, silver this time, with words engraved upon them:**

**_Enter, stranger, but take heed_**

******_Of what awaits the sin of greed,_**

******_For those who take, but do not earn,_**

******_Must pay most dearly in their turn._**

******_So if you seek beneath our floors_**

******_A treasure that was never yours,_**

******_Thief, you have been warned, beware_**

******_Of finding more than treasure there._**

"I wouldn't call what we went there for treasure," Ron whispered.

**"Like I said, Yeh'd be mad ter try an' rob it," said Hagrid.**

"Crazy," Ginny nodded.

"Barking," Neville agreed.

"Metal," Seamus smirked.

"Insane," Dean said.

**A pair of goblins bowed them through the silver doors and they were in a vast marble hall. About a hundred more goblins were sitting on high stools behind a long counter, scribbling in large ledgers, weighing coins in brass scales, examining precious stones through eyeglasses. There were too many doors to count leading off the hall, and yet more goblins were showing people in and out of these. Hagrid and Harry made for the counter.**

**"Morning," said Hagrid to a free goblin. "We've come ter take some money outta Mr. Harry Potter's safe."**

**"You have his key, Sir?"**

**"Got it here somewhere," said Hagrid, and he started emptying his pockets onto the counter, scattering a handful of moldy dog biscuits over the goblin's book of numbers. **

"Bet he didn't like that," Bill muttered.

"Who would?" Fleur asked.

**The goblin wrinkled his nose. Harry watched the goblin on their right weighing a pile of rubies as big as glowing coals.**

Older James looked confused.

**"Got it," said Hagrid at last, holding up a tiny golden key.**

**The goblin looked at it closely.**

**"That seems to be in order."**

**"An' I've also got a letter here from Professor Dumbledore," said Hagrid importantly, throwing out his chest. "It's about the YouKnow-What in vault seven hundred and thirteen."**

"HAGRID!" Mrs. Weasley yelled.

"You can't say something like that in front of Harry!" McGonagall cried.

Older James and Lily looked to see Harry smirking.

They both groaned inwardly, this can't mean anything good.

**The goblin read the letter carefully.**

**"Very well," he said, handing it back to Hagrid, "I will have Someone take you down to both vaults. Griphook!"**

Ron growled.

**Griphook was yet another goblin. Once Hagrid had crammed all the dog biscuits back inside his pockets, he and Harry followed Griphook toward one of the doors leading off the hall.**

**"What's the You-Know-What in vault seven hundred and thirteen?" Harry asked.**

McGonagall gave Hagrid an "I told you so" look.

**"Can't tell yeh that," said Hagrid mysteriously. "Very secret. Hogwarts business. Dumbledore's trusted me. More'n my job's worth ter tell yeh that."**

"You just made it worst," older Remus said.

**Griphook held the door open for them. Harry, who had expected more marble, was surprised. They were in a narrow stone passageway lit with flaming torches. It sloped steeply downward and there were little railway tracks on the floor. Griphook whistled and a small cart came hurtling up the tracks toward them. They climbed in - Hagrid with some difficulty - and were off.**

**At first they just hurtled through a maze of twisting passages. Harry tried to remember, left, right, right, left, middle fork, right, left, but it was impossible.**

"That's better than most people," young Lily said.

**The rattling cart seemed to know its own way, because Griphook wasn't steering.**

**Harry's eyes stung as the cold air rushed past them, but he kept them wide open. Once, he thought he saw a burst of fire at the end of a passage and twisted around to see if it was a dragon, but too late - - they plunged even deeper, passing an underground lake where huge stalactites and stalagmites grew from the ceiling and floor.**

**I never know," Harry called to Hagrid over the noise of the cart, "what's the difference between a stalagmite and a stalactite?"**

Hermione opened her mouth to explain, but Harry interupted her.

"Hagrid explained it fine."

**"Stalagmite's got an 'm' in it,"**

Hermione looked scadous.

**said Hagrid. "An' don' ask me questions just now, I think I'm gonna be sick."**

**He did look very green, and when the cart stopped at last beside a small door in the passage wall, Hagrid got out and had to lean against the wall to stop his knees from trembling.**

**Griphook unlocked the door. A lot of green smoke came billowing out, and as it cleared, Harry gasped. Inside were mounds of gold coins. Columns of silver. Heaps of little bronze Knuts.**

"That's not all of it," older James said.

"It's not?" Harry asked.

"That's only your trust fault. There is another one with money in it and two with family herloges," older James explained.

"I'll look into that," Harry smiled.

"If they ever let you back in," Ron whispered.

Harry's disappeared.

Hermione elbowed Ron in the gut.

**"All yours," smiled Hagrid.**

**All Harry's - it was incredible. The Dursleys couldn't have known about this or they'd have had it from him faster than blinking.**

Older James growled.

**How often had they complained how much Harry cost them to keep?**

"As if they actually gave you everything you needed," older Lily muttered.

**And all the time there had been a small fortune belonging to him, buried deep under London.**

"I wouldn't call that small," Ron said.

**Hagrid helped Harry pile some of it into a bag.**

**"The gold ones are Galleons," he explained. "Seventeen silver Sickles to a Galleon and twenty-nine Knuts to a Sickle, it's easy enough. Right, that should be enough fer a couple o' terms, we'll keep the rest safe for yeh." He turned to Griphook. "Vault seven hundred and thirteen now, please, and can we go more slowly?"**

**"One speed only," said Griphook.**

**They were going even deeper now and gathering speed. The air became colder and colder as they hurtled round tight corners. They went rattling over an underground ravine, and Harry leaned over the side to try to see what was down at the dark bottom,**

"Are you trying to get yourself killed?" older Sirius asked.

"I've done worst things," Harry shrugged.

Older James, older Sirius, older Lily, and older Remus all groaned.

**but Hagrid groaned and pulled him back by the scruff of his neck.**

Older Lily gave a sigh of relieve.

"Thank-you Hagrid," older James said.

Hagrid waved away his thanks with a wave of his gaint hand.

**Vault seven hundred and thirteen had no keyhole.**

**"Stand back," said Griphook importantly. He stroked the door gently with one of his long fingers and it simply melted away.**

**"If anyone but a Gringotts goblin tried that, they'd be sucked through the door and trapped in there," said Griphook.**

**"How often do you check to see if anyone's inside?" Harry asked.**

**"About once every ten years," said Griphook with a rather nasty grin.**

"Well, he's a rather nasty creature," Hermione whispered.

**Something really extraordinary had to be inside this top security vault, Harry was sure, and he leaned forward eagerly, expecting to see fabulous jewels at the very least - but at first he thought it was empty. Then he noticed a grubby little package wrapped up in brown paper lying on the floor. Hagrid picked it up and tucked it deep inside his coat. Harry longed to know what it was, but knew better than to ask.**

**"Come on, back in this infernal cart, and don't talk to me on the way back, it's best if I keep me mouth shut," said Hagrid.**

**One wild cart ride later they stood blinking in the sunlight outside Gringotts. Harry didn't know where to run first now that he had a bag full of money. He didn't have to know how many Galleons there were to a pound to know that he was holding more money than he'd had in his whole life - more money than even Dudley had ever had.**

**"Might as well get yer uniform," said Hagrid, nodding toward Madam Malkin's Robes for All Occasions. "Listen, Harry, would yeh mind if I slipped off fer a pick-me-up in the Leaky Cauldron?**

Mrs. Weasley tutted.

**I hate them Gringotts carts." He did still look a bit sick, so Harry entered Madam Malkin's shop alone, feeling nervous.**

**Madam Malkin was a squat, smiling witch dressed all in mauve.**

**"Hogwarts, clear?" she said, when Harry started to speak. "Got the lot here - another young man being fitted up just now, in fact. "**

"Maybe you'll make a new friend," Alice said.

"Fat chance," Harry snorted.

Alice and everyone else looked confused.

**In the back of the shop, a boy with a pale, pointed face was standing on a footstool while a second witch pinned up his long black robes.**

Everyone's confusion washed away.

"A Malfoy, stay away from him Harry," older James insturcted.

**Madam Malkin stood Harry on a stool next to him) slipped a long robe over his head, and began to pin it to the right length.**

**"Hello," said the boy, "Hogwarts, too?"**

**"Yes," said Harry.**

**"My father's next door buying my books and mother's up the street looking at wands," said the boy. He had a bored, drawling voice. "Then I'm going to drag them off to took at racing brooms. I don't see why first years can't have their own. I think I'll bully father into getting me one and I'll smuggle it in somehow."**

"Brat," Mrs. Weasley said.

"I prefer prat," Ron said checkily.

**Harry was strongly reminded of Dudley.**

**"Have you got your own broom?" the boy went on.**

**"No," said Harry.**

**"Play Quidditch at all?"**

**"No," Harry said again, wondering what on earth Quidditch could be.**

Both James made a noise that sounded like a wounded moose.

**"I do - Father says it's a crime if I'm not picked to play for my house, and I must say, I agree. Know what house you'll be in yet?"**

**"No," said Harry, feeling more stupid by the minute.**

"Don't, loads of muggle-borns don't know about any of that stuff," Frank said.

**"Well, no one really knows until they get there, do they, but I know I'll be in Slytherin, all our family have been - imagine being in Hufflepuff, I think I'd leave,**

All the Hufflepuffs growled.

**wouldn't you?" "Mmm," said Harry, wishing he could say something a bit more interesting.**

**"I say, look at that man!" said the boy suddenly, nodding toward the front window. Hagrid was standing there, grinning at Harry and pointing at two large ice creams to show he couldn't come in.**

**"That's Hagrid," said Harry, pleased to know something the boy didn't. "He works at Hogwarts."**

**"Oh," said the boy, "I've heard of him. He's a sort of servant, isn't he?"**

**"He's the gamekeeper," said Harry. He was liking the boy less and less every second.**

**"Yes, exactly. I heard he's a sort of savage - lives in a hut on the school grounds and every now and then he gets drunk, tries to do magic, and ends up setting fire to his bed."**

Everyone that was friends with Hagrid growled at this.

**"I think he's brilliant," said Harry coldly.**

Hagrid beamed.

**"Do you?" said the boy, with a slight sneer. "Why is he with you? Where are your parents?"**

**"They're dead," said Harry shortly. He didn't feel much like going into the matter with this boy.**

**"Oh, sorry," said the other,. not sounding sorry at all. "But they were our kind, weren't they?"**

**"They were a witch and wizard, if that's what you mean."**

**"I really don't think they should let the other sort in, do you? They're just not the same, they've never been brought up to know our ways. Some of them have never even heard of Hogwarts until they get the letter, imagine. I think they should keep it in the old wizarding families. What's your surname, anyway?"**

**But before Harry could answer, Madam Malkin said, "That's you done, my dear," and Harry, not sorry for an excuse to stop talking to the boy, hopped down from the footstool.**

**"Well, I'll see you at Hogwarts, I suppose," said the drawling boy.**

**Harry was rather quiet as he ate the ice cream Hagrid had bought him (chocolate and raspberry with chopped nuts).**

**"What's up?" said Hagrid.**

**"Nothing," Harry lied. They stopped to buy parchment and quills. Harry cheered up a bit when he found a bottle of ink that changed color as you wrote. When they had left the shop, he said, "Hagrid, what's Quidditch?"**

**"Blimey, Harry, I keep forgettin' how little yeh know - not knowin' about Quidditch!"**

**"Don't make me feel worse," said Harry. He told Hagrid about the plae boy in Madam Malkin's.**

**"-and he said people from Muggle families shouldn't even be allowed in."**

**"Yer not from a Muggle family. If he'd known who yeh were - he's grown up knowin' yer name if his parents are wizardin' folk. You saw what everyone in the Leaky Cauldron was like when they saw yeh. Anyway, what does he know about it, some o' the best I ever saw were the only ones with magic in 'em in a long line 0' Muggles - look at yer mum! Look what she had fer a sister!"**

**"So what is Quidditch?"**

**"It's our sport. Wizard sport. It's like - like soccer in the Muggle world - everyone follows Quidditch - played up in the air on broomsticks and there's four balls - sorta hard ter explain the rules."**

"No it's not!" all the Quidditch nuts shouted. Harry tried hard not to shout with them.

**"And what are Slytherin and Hufflepuff?"**

**"School houses. There's four. Everyone says Hufflepuff are a lot o' duffers, but -"**

**"I bet I'm in Hufflepuff" said Harry gloomily.**

**"Better Hufflepuff than Slytherin," said Hagrid darkly. "There's not a single witch or wizard who went bad who wasn't in Slytherin.**

"I can name a few," Harry muttered.

Hermione and Ron nodded.

**You-Know-Who was one."**

**"Vol-, sorry - You-Know-Who was at Hogwarts?"**

**"Years an' years ago," said Hagrid.**

**They bought Harry's school books in a shop called Flourish and Blotts where the shelves were stacked to the ceiling with books as large as paving stones bound in leather; books the size of postage stamps in covers of silk; books full of peculiar symbols and a few books with nothing in them at all. Even Dudley, who never read anything, would have been wild to get his hands on some of these. Hagrid almost had to drag Harry away from Curses and Countercurses (Bewitch Your Friends and Befuddle Your Enemies with the Latest Revenges: Hair Loss, Jelly-Legs, Tongue- Tying and Much, Much More) by Professor Vindictus Viridian.**

**"I was trying to find out how to curse Dudley."**

"That's the Marauder on you coming out," older James said afectionatly ruffling Harry's hair.

**"I'm not sayin' that's not a good idea, but yer not ter use magic in the Muggle world except in very special circumstances," said Hagrid. "An' anyway, yeh couldn' work any of them curses yet, yeh'll need a lot more study before yeh get ter that level."**

**Hagrid wouldn't let Harry buy a solid gold cauldron, either ("It says pewter on yer list"), but they got a nice set of scales for weighing potion ingredients and a collapsible brass telescope. Then they visited the Apothecary, which was fascinating enough to make up for its horrible smell, a mixture of bad eggs and rotted cabbages. Barrels of slimy stuff stood on the floor; jars of herbs, dried roots, and bright powders lined the walls; bundles of feathers, strings of fangs, and snarled claws hung from the ceiling. While Hagrid asked the man behind the counter for a supply of some basic potion ingredients for Harry, Harry himself examined silver unicorn horns at twenty-one Galleons each and minuscule, glittery-black beetle eyes (five Knuts a scoop).**

**Outside the Apothecary, Hagrid checked Harry's list again.**

**"Just yer wand left - A yeah, an' I still haven't got yeh a birthday present."**

**Harry felt himself go red.**

**"You don't have to -"**

**"I know I don't have to. Tell yeh what, I'll get yer animal. Not a toad, toads went outta fashion years ago,**

Neville went red.

The D.A. laughed.

**yeh'd be laughed at - an' I don' like cats, they make me sneeze. I'll get yer an owl. All the kids want owls, they're dead useful, carry yer mail an' everythin'."**

**Twenty minutes later, they left Eeylops Owl Emporium, which had been dark and full of rustling and flickering, jewel-bright eyes. Harry now carried a large cage that held a beautiful snowy owl, fast asleep with her head under her wing. He couldn't stop stammering his thanks, sounding just like Professor Quirrell.**

"If anybody compares me to that man ever again I'll hex you so bad you won't stop hurting for a week," Harry said.

"Isn't that a bit harsh," older Remus asked.

"Not in the slightest," Hermione answered.

**"Don' mention it," said Hagrid gruffly. "Don' expect you've had a lotta presents from them Dursleys. Just Ollivanders left now - only place fer wands, Ollivanders, and yeh gotta have the best wand."**

**A magic wand... this was what Harry had been really looking forward to.**

"Don't we all," Percy said.

**The last shop was narrow and shabby. Peeling gold letters over the door read Ollivanders: Makers of Fine Wands since 382 B.C. A single wand lay on a faded purple cushion in the dusty window.**

**A tinkling bell rang somewhere in the depths of the shop as they stepped inside. It was a tiny place, empty except for a single, spindly chair that Hagrid sat on to wait. Harry felt strangely as though he had entered a very strict library; he swallowed a lot of new questions that had just occurred to him and looked instead at the thousands of narrow boxes piled neatly right up to the ceiling. For some reason, the back of his neck prickled. The very dust and silence in here seemed to tingle with some secret magic.**

Some people gasped.

"Good instints Potter," Moody said gruffly.

**"Good afternoon," said a soft voice. Harry jumped. Hagrid must have jumped, too, because there was a loud crunching noise and he got quickly off the spindly chair.**

"That's why it was broke when I got my wand," Ginny said.

**An old man was standing before them, his wide, pale eyes shining like moons through the gloom of the shop.**

**"Hello," said Harry awkwardly.**

**"Ah yes," said the man. "Yes, yes. I thought I'd be seeing you soon. Harry Potter." It wasn't a question. "You have your mother's eyes. It seems only yesterday she was in here herself, buying her first wand. Ten and a quarter inches long, swishy, made of willow. Nice wand for charm work."**

Both Lilies smiled. They loved that wand.

**Mr. Ollivander moved closer to Harry. Harry wished he would blink. Those silvery eyes were a bit creepy.**

**"Your father, on the other hand, favored a mahogany wand. Eleven inches. Pliable. A little more power and excellent for transfiguration. Well, I say your father favored it - it's really the wand that chooses the wizard, of course."**

Both Jameses smiled. They really did like that wand.

**Mr. Ollivander had come so close that he and Harry were almost nose to nose. Harry could see himself reflected in those misty eyes.**

**"And that's where..."**

**Mr. Ollivander touched the lightning scar on Harry's forehead with a long, white finger.**

"I hate when people do that," Harry grumbled.

**"I'm sorry to say I sold the wand that did it," he said softly. "Thirteen-and-a-half inches. Yew. Powerful wand, very powerful, and in the wrong hands... well, if I'd known what that wand was going out into the world to do..."**

**He shook his head and then, to Harry's relief, spotted Hagrid.**

**"Rubeus! Rubeus Hagrid! How nice to see you again... Oak, sixteen inches, rather bendy, wasn't it?"**

**"It was, sir, yes," said Hagrid.**

**"Good wand, that one. But I suppose they snapped it in half when you got expelled?" said Mr. Ollivander, suddenly stern.**

**"Er - yes, they did, yes," said Hagrid, shuffling his feet. "I've still got the pieces, though," he added brightly.**

**"But you don't use them?" said Mr. Ollivander sharply.**

**"Oh, no, sit," said Hagrid quickly. Harry noticed he gripped his pink umbrella very tightly as he spoke.**

"That's not obvious at all," older Sirius muttered.

**"Hmmm," said Mr. Ollivander, giving Hagrid a piercing look. "Well, now - Mr. Potter. Let me see." He pulled a long tape measure with silver markings out of his pocket. "Which is your wand arm?"**

**"Er - well, I'm right-handed," said Harry.**

**"Hold out your arm. That's it." He measured Harry from shoulder to finger, then wrist to elbow, shoulder to floor, knee to armpit and round his head. As he measured, he said, "Every Ollivander wand has a core of a powerful magical substance, Mr. Potter. We use unicorn hairs, phoenix tail feathers, and the heartstrings of dragons. No two Ollivander wands are the same, just as no two unicorns, dragons, or phoenixes are quite the same. And of course, you will never get such good results with another wizard's wand."**

"So true," Harry mumbled.

**Harry suddenly realized that the tape measure, which was measuring between his nostrils, was doing this on its own. Mr. Ollivander was flitting around the shelves, taking down boxes.**

**"That will do," he said, and the tape measure crumpled into a heap on the floor. "Right then, Mr. Potter. Try this one. Beechwood and dragon heartstring. Nine inches. Nice and flexible. just take it and give it a wave."**

**Harry took the wand and (feeling foolish) waved it around a bit, but Mr. Ollivander snatched it out of his hand almost at once.**

**"Maple and phoenix feather. Seven inches. Quite whippy. Try -"**

**Harry tried - but he had hardly raised the wand when it, too, was snatched back by Mr. Ollivander.**

**"No, no -here, ebony and unicorn hair, eight and a half inches, springy. Go on, go on, try it out."**

**Harry tried. And tried. He had no idea what Mr. Ollivander was waiting for. The pile of tried wands was mounting higher and higher on the spindly chair, but the more wands Mr. Ollivander pulled from the shelves, the happier he seemed to become.**

"He always did like a challenge," Dumbledore chuckled.

**"Tricky customer, eh? Not to worry, we'll find the perfect match here somewhere - I wonder, now - - yes, why not - unusual combination - holly and phoenix feather, eleven inches, nice and supple."**

Harry grinned.

**Harry took the wand. He felt a sudden warmth in his fingers. He raised the wand above his head, brought it swishing down through the dusty air and a stream of red and gold sparks shot from the end like a firework,**

"Gryffindor colors," older James cheered.

Older Lily rolled her eyes, "It doesn't matter what house your in, we're proud of you no matter what."

Harry refused to tell them anything about what happened later on in the story.`

**throwing dancing spots of light on to the walls. Hagrid whooped and clapped and Mr. Ollivander cried, "Oh, bravo! Yes, indeed, oh, very good. Well, well, well... how curious... how very curious... "**

**He put Harry's wand back into its box and wrapped it in brown paper, still muttering, "Curious... curious..**

**"Sorry," said Harry, "but what's curious?"**

**Mr. Ollivander fixed Harry with his pale stare.**

**"I remember every wand I've ever sold, Mr. Potter. Every single wand. It so happens that the phoenix whose tail feather is in your wand, gave another feather - just one other. It is very curious indeed that you should be destined for this wand when its brother why, its brother gave you that scar."**

There was gasps in the room.

**Harry swallowed.**

**"Yes, thirteen-and-a-half inches. Yew. Curious indeed how these things happen. The wand chooses the wizard, remember... I think we must expect great things from you, Mr. Potter... After all, He- Who-Must-Not-Be-Named did great things - terrible, yes, but great."**

"Yeah, murdering people, wonderful," older Sirius said sarcastily.

"He was talking about that magic used not what he did," Harry said.

**Harry shivered. He wasn't sure he liked Mr. Ollivander too much.**

"I think everybody gets that feeling," Cedric said.

**He paid seven gold Galleons for his wand, and Mr. Ollivander bowed them from his shop.**

**The late afternoon sun hung low in the sky as Harry and Hagrid made their way back down Diagon Alley, back through the wall, back through the Leaky Cauldron, now empty. Harry didn't speak at all as they walked down the road; he didn't even notice how much people were gawking at them on the Underground, laden as they were with all their funny-shaped packages, with the snowy owl asleep in its cage on Harry's lap. Up another escalator, out into Paddington station; Harry only realized where they were when Hagrid tapped him on the shoulder.**

**"Got time fer a bite to eat before yer train leaves," he said.**

**He bought Harry a hamburger and they sat down on plastic seats to eat them. Harry kept looking around. Everything looked so strange, somehow.**

**"You all right, Harry? Yer very quiet," said Hagrid.**

**Harry wasn't sure he could explain. He'd just had the best birthday of his life - and yet - he chewed his hamburger, trying to find the words.**

**"Everyone thinks I'm special," he said at last. "All those people in the Leaky Cauldron, Professor Quirrell, Mr. Ollivander... but I don't know anything about magic at all. How can they expect great things? I'm famous and I can't even remember what I'm famous for. I don't know what happened when Vol-, sorry - I mean, the night my parents died."**

Many people cringed at the mention of Lily and James dying.

**Hagrid leaned across the table. Behind the wild beard and eyebrows he wore a very kind smile.**

**"Don' you worry, Harry. You'll learn fast enough. Everyone starts at the beginning at Hogwarts, you'll be just fine. just be yerself. I know it's hard. Yeh've been singled out, an' that's always hard. But yeh'll have a great time at Hogwarts - I did - still do, 'smatter of fact."**

"I love Hogwarts," Harry said.

**Hagrid helped Harry on to the train that would take him back to the Dursleys, then handed him an envelope.**

**"Yer ticket fer Hogwarts, " he said. "First o' September - King's Cross - it's all on yer ticket. Any problems with the Dursleys, send me a letter with yer owl, she'll know where to find me... See yeh soon, Harry."**

**The train pulled out of the station. Harry wanted to watch Hagrid until he was out of sight; he rose in his seat and pressed his nose against the window, but he blinked and Hagrid had gone.**

"That's the end of the chapter," young Remus said.

_AN: I am so sorry for the long wait. School and life have gotten in the way. Thanks for all the favorites, followers, and reviews. It means a lot to me. Thanks for reading. _

_Pottergirl33_


	7. The Journey From Platform 9 and 34

"**"THE JOURNEY FROM PLATFORM NINE AND THREE-QUARTERS"**

Old Remus read.

**Harry's last month with the Dursleys wasn't fun. True, Dudley was now so scared of Harry he wouldn't stay in the same room, while Aunt Petunia and Uncle Vernon didn't shut Harry in his cupboard, force him to do anything, or shout at him - in fact, they didn't speak to him at all. Half terrified, half furious, they acted as though any chair with Harry in it were empty. Although this was an improvement in many ways, it did become a bit depressing after a while.**

"Understandable," Kingsley mused.

**Harry kept to his room, with his new owl for company. He had decided to call her Hedwig, a name he had found in A History of Magic.**

"You read it?" Fred asked.

"The one time," Harry answered.

"We are disowning you," George said.

Harry pouted.

**His school books were very interesting.**

"Who are you Hermione?!" Ron asked.

"I'm right here," Hermione shouted.

Ron blushed.

**He lay on his bed reading late into the night,**

"Hermione," Ron coughed.

**Hedwig swooping in and out of the open window as she pleased. It was lucky that Aunt Petunia didn't come in to vacuum anymore, because Hedwig kept bringing back dead mice. Every night before he went to sleep, Harry ticked off another day on the piece of paper he had pinned to the wall, counting down to September the first.**

"I use to do that too," old Sirius commented.

**On the last day of August he thought he'd better speak to his aunt and uncle about getting to King's Cross station the next day,**

"Why would you ask them the day before?" Alice asked.

"Less time for them to change their minds," Harry said darkly.

Moody nodded approvingly.

**so he went down to the living room where they were watching a quiz show on television. He cleared his throat to let them know he was there, and Dudley screamed and ran from the room.**

Everyone laughed.

**"Er - Uncle Vernon?"**

**Uncle Vernon grunted to show he was listening.**

**"Er - I need to be at King's Cross tomorrow to - to go to Hogwarts."**

**Uncle Vernon grunted again.**

**"Would it be all right if you gave me a lift?"**

**Grunt. Harry supposed that meant yes.**

"Wow, Harry," George said.

"We didn't know you could speak troll," Fred finished.

Everyone laughed.

**"Thank you."**

**He was about to go back upstairs when Uncle Vernon actually spoke.**

**"Funny way to get to a wizards' school, the train. Magic carpets all got punctures, have they?"**

"No, there illegal, everyone knows that," Ernie remarked.

**Harry didn't say anything.**

**"Where is this school, anyway?"**

**"I don't know," said Harry, realizing this for the first time. He pulled the ticket Hagrid had given him out of his pocket.**

**"I just take the train from platform nine and three-quarters at eleven o'clock," he read.**

**His aunt and uncle stared.**

"Petunia knows about it," older Lily grumbled.

**"Platform what?"**

**"Nine and three-quarters."**

**"Don't talk rubbish," said Uncle Vernon. "There is no platform nine and three-quarters."**

"Yes there is," just about everyone said.

**"It's on my ticket."**

**"Barking," said Uncle Vernon, "howling mad, the lot of them.**

Both sets of Marauders, Harry, Ron, Hermione, older Lily, Ginny, Tonks, George, Charlie, Fred, and Bill started sniggering.

**You'll see. You just wait. All right, we'll take you to King's Cross. We're going up to London tomorrow anyway, or I wouldn't bother."**

**"Why are you going to London?" Harry asked, trying to keep things friendly.**

"Shouldn't have bothered," Harry muttered.

**"Taking Dudley to the hospital," growled Uncle Vernon. "Got to have that ruddy tail removed before he goes to Smeltings."**

"Aww, but it adds personality," older James joked.

Everyone laughed.

**Harry woke at five o'clock the next morning and was too excited and nervous to go back to sleep.**

"Who isn't?" Justin asked.

**He got up and pulled on his jeans because he didn't want to walk into the station in his wizard's robes - he'd change on the train.**

"Good, don't need to be walking around in your robes," Mr. Weasley complemented.

**He checked his Hogwarts list yet again to make sure he had everything he needed, saw that Hedwig was shut safely in her cage, and then paced the room, waiting for the Dursleys to get up. Two hours later, Harry's huge, heavy trunk had been loaded into the Dursleys' car, Aunt Petunia had talked Dudley into sitting next to Harry, and they had set off.**

**They reached King's Cross at half past ten. Uncle Vernon dumped Harry's trunk onto a cart and wheeled it into the station for him. Harry thought this was strangely kind until Uncle Vernon stopped dead, facing the platforms with a nasty grin on his face.**

"Uh oh," Dean muttered.

"This can't be good," Seamus whispered.

**"Well, there you are, boy. Platform nine - platform ten. Your platform should be somewhere in the middle, but they don't seem to have built it yet, do they?"**

"Hagrid forgot to tell you how to get on the Platform!" Susan cried.

Hagrid looked very upset at this.

**He was quite right, of course. There was a big plastic number nine over one platform and a big plastic number ten over the one next to it, and in the middle, nothing at all.**

**"Have a good term," said Uncle Vernon with an even nastier smile. He left without another word. Harry turned and saw the Dursleys drive away.**

"PETUNIA KNOWS! SHE KNOWS HOW TO GET ON THE PLATFORM!" older Lily yelled.

**All three of them were laughing. Harry's mouth went rather dry. What on earth was he going to do? He was starting to attract a lot of funny looks, because of Hedwig. He'd have to ask someone.**

**He stopped a passing guard, but didn't dare mention platform nine and three-quarters. The guard had never heard of Hogwarts and when Harry couldn't even tell him what part of the country it was in, he started to get annoyed, as though Harry was being stupid on purpose. Getting desperate, Harry asked for the train that left at eleven o'clock, but the guard said there wasn't one. In the end the guard strode away, muttering about time wasters. Harry was now trying hard not to panic.**

Everyone in the room was getting worried about how Harry would get on the train, except for Mrs. Weasley, Percy, Fred, George, Ron, Ginny, and Harry.

"I'm sorry Harry," Hagrid howled.

To everyone's suprise Harry smiled. "Don't worry about it Hagrid, I wouldn't have it any other way."

Harry and Ron exchanged s smirk.

**According to the large clock over the arrivals board, he had ten minutes left to get on the train to Hogwarts and he had no idea how to do it; he was stranded in the middle of a station with a trunk he could hardly lift, a pocket full of wizard money, and a large owl.**

**Hagrid must have forgotten to tell him something you had to do, like tapping the third brick on the left to get into Diagon Alley. He wondered if he should get out his wand and start tapping the ticket inspector's stand between platforms nine and ten.**

"Bad idea," older James stated.

"I didn't do it," Harry said, rolling his eyes.

**At that moment a group of people passed just behind him and he caught a few words of what they were saying.**

**"- packed with Muggles, of course -"**

"Wizards," older Lily sighed in relieve.

"But are they good or bad," older Sirius asked.

Older Lily started worrying again.

Older James glared at older Sirius.

Older Sirius just shrugged.

**Harry swung round. The speaker was a plump woman who was talking to four boys, all with flaming red hair.**

Everyone in the room smiled.

The Weasleys, Harry would be fine.

**Each of them was pushing a trunk like Harry's in front of him - and they had an owl.**

**Heart hammering, Harry pushed his cart after them. They stopped and so did he, just near enough to hear what they were saying.**

**"Now, what's the platform number?" said the boys' mother.**

"As if you didn't know," Charlie rolled his eyes.

"I like to make sure you kids can remember," Mrs. Weasley said.

"Who could forget," Ginny asked.

**"Nine and three-quarters!" piped a small girl, also red-headed, who was holding her hand, "Mom, can't I go... "**

Ginny blushed.

**"You're not old enough, Ginny, now be quiet. All right, Percy, you go first."**

**What looked like the oldest boy marched toward platforms nine and ten. Harry watched, careful not to blink in case he missed it - but just as the boy reached the dividing barrier between the two platforms, a large crowd of tourists came swarming in front of him and by the time the last backpack had cleared away, the boy had vanished.**

**"Fred, you next," the plump woman said.**

**"I'm not Fred, I'm George," said the boy. "Honestly, woman, you call yourself our mother? Can't you tell I'm George?"**

"After all these years and you still fall for it," Fred said shaking his head.

Nobody that knew what happened to Fred could smile, because they knew that joke could never be played again.

**"Sorry, George, dear."**

**"Only joking, I am Fred," said the boy, and off he went. His twin called after him to hurry up, and he must have done so, because a second later, he had gone - but how had he done it?**

**Now the third brother was walking briskly toward the barrier he was almost there - and then, quite suddenly, he wasn't anywhere.**

**There was nothing else for it.**

**"Excuse me," Harry said to the plump woman.**

"He was ever so polite," Mrs. Weasley cooed.

Harry blushed.

**"Hello, dear," she said. "First time at Hogwarts? Ron's new, too."**

**She pointed at the last and youngest of her sons. He was tall, thin, and gangling, with freckles, big hands and feet, and a long nose.**

Everyone laughed at Harry's desciption.

"Thanks mate," Ron said sarcastily.

"Anytime," Harry smiled.

Ron glared at him.

Hermione was laughing the loudest.

"Wait til he gets to your descirption," Ron pointed out.

Hermione stopped laughing.

**"Yes," said Harry. "The thing is - the thing is, I don't know how to -"**

**"How to get onto the platform?" she said kindly, and Harry nodded.**

**"Not to worry," she said. "All you have to do is walk straight at the barrier between platforms nine and ten. Don't stop and don't be scared you'll crash into it, that's very important. Best do it at a bit of a run if you're nervous. Go on, go now before Ron."**

"Thanks Molly," older Lily said.

"Not a problem dear, Harry is such a sweet boy," Mrs. Weasley ranted.

**"Er - okay," said Harry.**

**He pushed his trolley around and stared at the barrier. It looked very solid.**

**He started to walk toward it. People jostled him on their way to platforms nine and ten. Harry walked more quickly. He was going to smash right into that barrier and then he'd be in trouble - leaning forward on his cart, he broke into a heavy run - the barrier was coming nearer and nearer - he wouldn't be able to stop - the cart was out of control - he was a foot away - he closed his eyes ready for the crash -**

**It didn't come... he kept on running... he opened his eyes. A scarlet steam engine was waiting next to a platform packed with people. A sign overhead said Hogwarts Express, eleven O'clock.**

Everyone was thinking about their first time on the Hogwarts Express. Most everyone was smiling.

**Harry looked behind him and saw a wrought-iron archway where the barrier had been, with the words Platform Nine and Three-Quarters on it, He had done it.**

**Smoke from the engine drifted over the heads of the chattering crowd, while cats of every color wound here and there between their legs. Owls hooted to one another in a disgruntled sort of way over the babble and the scraping of heavy trunks.**

**The first few carriages were already packed with students, some hanging out of the window to talk to their families, some fighting over seats. Harry pushed his cart off down the platform in search of an empty seat. He passed a round-faced boy who was saying, "Gran, I've lost my toad again."**

Neville blushed as the D.A looked at him.

**"Oh, Neville," he heard the old woman sigh.**

"That's you!" Frank cried pointing at Neville.

Neville sighed and nodded.

"But why aren't you with us?" Alice asked.

Neville looked like he was about to cry.

"Keep reading Remus," Harry whispered.

**A boy with dreadlocks was surrounded by a small crowd.**

**"Give us a look, Lee, go on."**

McGonagall raised her eyebrows.

**The boy lifted the lid of a box in his arms, and the people around him shrieked and yelled as something inside poked out a long, hairy leg.**

Ron shuddered.

**Harry pressed on through the crowd until he found an empty compartment near the end of the train. He put Hedwig inside first and then started to shove and heave his trunk toward the train door. He tried to lift it up the steps but could hardly raise one end and twice he dropped it painfully on his foot.**

"Ouch," older James muttered.

Older Sirius winced, having done that a time or two himself.

**"Want a hand?" It was one of the red-haired twins he'd followed through the barrier.**

**"Yes, please," Harry panted.**

"Your being kind to someone?" Lavender asked.

"That's insulting," George said.

"We're always kind to people," Fred nodded.

**"Oy, Fred! C'mere and help!"**

**With the twins' help, Harry's trunk was at last tucked away in a corner of the compartment.**

**"Thanks," said Harry, pushing his sweaty hair out of his eyes.**

**"What's that?" said one of the twins suddenly, pointing at Harry's lightning scar.**

Mrs. Weasley sighed.

**"Blimey," said the other twin. "Are you**

**"He is," said the first twin. "Aren't you?" he added to Harry.**

**"What?" said Harry.**

**"Harry Potter, "chorused the twins.**

**"Oh, him," said Harry. "I mean, yes, I am."**

Everyone was laughing at a rather red Harry.

"Really Harry?" Ron choked out.

Harry hit him upside the head, "I wasn't used to fame yet."

**The two boys gawked at him, and Harry felt himself turning red.**

"Sorry Harry," the twins chorused.

**Then, to his relief, a voice came floating in through the train's open door.**

**"Fred? George? Are you there?"**

**"Coming, Mom."**

**With a last look at Harry, the twins hopped off the train.**

**Harry sat down next to the window where, half hidden, he could watch the red-haired family on the platform and hear what they were saying. Their mother had just taken out her handkerchief.**

**"Ron, you've got something on your nose."**

**The youngest boy tried to jerk out of the way, but she grabbed him and began rubbing the end of his nose.**

Everyone sniggered.

**"Mom - geroff" He wriggled free.**

**"Aaah, has ickle Ronnie got somefink on his nosie?" said one of the twins.**

**"Shut up," said Ron.**

**"Where's Percy?" said their mother.**

**"He's coming now."**

**The oldest boy came striding into sight. He had already changed into his billowing black Hogwarts robes, and Harry noticed a shiny silver badge on his chest with the letter P on it.****"Can't stay long, Mother," he said. "I'm up front, the prefects have got two compartments to themselves -"**

**"Oh, are you a prefect, Percy?" said one of the twins, with an air of great surprise. "You should have said something, we had no idea."**

**"Hang on, I think I remember him saying something about it," said the other twin. "Once -"**

**"Or twice -"**

**"A minute -"**

**"All summer -"**

"I have a feeling I'm really going to like these twins," older James laughed.

"You will, they're brilliant," older Sirius agreed.

**"Oh, shut up," said Percy the Prefect.**

"Now, Percy that's not a nice thing to say," Fred mocked.

Percy tried to smile, but it hurt too much.

**"How come Percy gets new robes, anyway?" said one of the twins.**

**"Because he's a prefect," said their mother fondly. "All right, dear, well, have a good term - send me an owl when you get there."**

**She kissed Percy on the cheek and he left. Then she turned to the twins.**

**"Now, you two - this year, you behave yourselves. If I get one more owl telling me you've - you've blown up a toilet or -"**

Both sets of Marauders groaned.

"Never give pranksters ideas Molly," older Remus shock his head.

"Or any kind of trouble-maker either," McGonagall said looking at Hermione, Harry, and Ron.

The three were looking anywhere than her.

**"Blown up a toilet? We've never blown up a toilet."**

"See what I mean," older Remus said.

**"Great idea though, thanks, Mom."**

"Yeah, thanks, we'll be using that," young Sirius said.

Young James was nodding smirking beside him.

**"It's not funny. And look after Ron."**

**"Don't worry, ickle Ronniekins is safe with us."**

**"Shut up," said Ron again. He was almost as tall as the twins already and his nose was still pink where his mother had rubbed it.**

**"Hey, Mom, guess what? Guess who we just met on the train?"**

**Harry leaned back quickly so they couldn't see him looking.**

**"You know that black-haired boy who was near us in the station? Know who he is?"**

**"Who?"**

**"Harry Potter!"**

**Harry heard the little girl's voice.**

Ginny groaned, she was so embrassed that Harry had heard her.

**"Oh, Mom, can I go on the train and see him, Mom, eh please..."**

Many people were laughing at Ginny.

**"You've already seen him, Ginny, and the poor boy isn't something you goggle at in a zoo. Is he really, Fred? How do you know?"**

**"Asked him. Saw his scar. It's really there - like lightning."**

**"Poor dear - no wonder he was alone, I wondered. He was ever so polite when he asked how to get onto the platform."**

Fred and George exchanged a look.

"And he's much too skinny," George said in a high pitch voice.

"He needs new clothes too," Fred continued.

"The poor dear."

"He's never had anyone to take care of him."

"He has such wonderful manners."

"His aunt and uncle just don't understand him."

"And he is always doing something dangerous."

"If it wasn't for him half of Hogwarts would be dead."

"I've never met a kinder person."

"His eyes are so pretty."

Mrs. Weasley was red in the face. She really did feel like Harry was another son.

Harry was blushing he had no idea that Mrs. Weasley cared so much.

Older Lily got up and hugged Mrs. Weasley. "Thank-you so much for taking care of Harry."

"It's nothing dear, Harry's part of the family," Mrs. Weasley replied.

Older Lily was feeling a little jealous of that statement, but forced a smile.

**"Never mind that, do you think he remembers what You-Know-Who looks like?"**

"Don't you dare," older Sirius snarled.

George and Fred looked shameful.

"Trust me, he's not very pretty," Harry stated.

A few people laughed.

**Their mother suddenly became very stern.**

**"I forbid you to ask him, Fred. No, don't you dare. As though he needs reminding of that on his first day at school."**

**"All right, keep your hair on."**

**A whistle sounded.**

**"Hurry up!" their mother said, and the three boys clambered onto the train. They leaned out of the window for her to kiss them good-bye, and their younger sister began to cry.**

**"Don't, Ginny, we'll send you loads of owls."**

**"We'll send you a Hogwarts toilet seat."**

"I never did get that," Ginny said.

"Thank goodness it means they didn't blow up a toilet," Mrs. Weasley sighed.

"Oh, we blow one up," Fred said.

"We just found some one that needed more than Ginny," George finished.

Mrs. Weasley sighed again.

Harry smirked.

**"George!"**

**"Only joking, Mom."**

**The train began to move. Harry saw the boys' mother waving and their sister, half laughing, half crying, running to keep up with the train until it gathered too much speed, then she fell back and waved.**

**Harry watched the girl and her mother disappear as the train rounded the corner. Houses flashed past the window. Harry felt a great leap of excitement. He didn't know what he was going to but it had to be better than what he was leaving behind.**

"It was," Harry cried.

**The door of the compartment slid open and the youngest redheaded boy came in.**

**"Anyone sitting there?" he asked, pointing at the seat opposite Harry. "Everywhere else is full."**

"How hard did you look?" Hermione teased.

"I tried a few places," Ron muttered.

Hermione sighed.

"Harry didn't mind, did you Harry?" Ron asked.

"Not in the slightest," Harry smiled.

Everyone in room could tell how close the three were.

**Harry shook his head and the boy sat down. He glanced at Harry and then looked quickly out of the window, pretending he hadn't looked.**

Everyone laughed.

Ron blushed.

**Harry saw he still had a black mark on his nose.**

"Why didn't you tell me?" Ron demanded.

Harry shrugged.

**"Hey, Ron."**

**The twins were back.**

**"Listen, we're going down the middle of the train - Lee Jordan's got a giant tarantula down there."**

Ron shuddered.

**"Right," mumbled Ron.**

**"Harry," said the other twin, "did we introduce ourselves? Fred and George Weasley. And this is Ron, our brother. See you later, then.**

**"Bye," said Harry and Ron. The twins slid the compartment door shut behind them.**

**"Are you really Harry Potter?" Ron blurted out.**

"Way to be blunt," young Sirius snorted.

**Harry nodded.**

**"Oh -well, I thought it might be one of Fred and George's jokes," said Ron. "And have you really got - you know..."**

"Got the what?" Dean asked.

**He pointed at Harry's forehead.**

"Ronald!" Mrs. Weasley scolded.

Ron shrugged.

**Harry pulled back his bangs to show the lightning scar.**

"You showed it to somebody! Usually you try to hide it!" Dennis shrieked.

Harry shrugged.

**Ron stared.**

"Doesn't everyone," Harry muttered.

**"So that's where You-Know-Who**

"Ronald!"

**"Yes," said Harry, "but I can't remember it."**

**"Nothing?" said Ron eagerly.**

"Ronald Billus Weasley! I told you not to ask him!" Mrs. Weasley shouted.

"No, you told the twins not to ask him," Ron pointed out.

Mrs. Weasley glared.

**"Well - I remember a lot of green light, but nothing else."**

**"Wow," said Ron.**

Hermione shock her head.

**He sat and stared at Harry for a few moments, then, as though he had suddenly realized what he was doing, he looked quickly out of the window again.**

There was more laughter here.

**"Are all your family wizards?" asked Harry, who found Ron just as interesting as Ron found him.**

"Really?" Ron asked.

"Well, yeah, you knew all about the wizarding world," Harry explained.

**"Er - Yes, I think so," said Ron. "I think Mom's got a second cousin who's an accountant, but we never talk about him."**

**"So you must know loads of magic already."**

"No he doesn't," older James said.

"I know that now, beside you should have seen him classes," Harry said.

**The Weasleys were clearly one of those old wizarding families the pale boy in Diagon Alley had talked about.**

"Don't think so," Bill snorted.

"That's insulting Harry," George cried.

**"I heard you went to live with Muggles," said Ron. "What are they like?"**

**"Horrible -well, not all of them. My aunt and uncle and cousin are, though. Wish I'd had three wizard brothers."**

"I have seven now," Harry said grinning at the Weasleys and Neville.

**"Five," said Ron. For some reason, he was looking gloomy.**

Everyone looked confused.

**"I'm the sixth in our family to go to Hogwarts. You could say I've got a lot to live up to. Bill and Charlie have already left - Bill was head boy and Charlie was captain of Quidditch. Now Percy's a prefect. Fred and George mess around a lot, but they still get really good marks and everyone thinks they're really funny. Everyone expects me to do as well as the others, but if I do, it's no big deal, because they did it first. You never get anything new, either, with five brothers. I've got Bill's old robes, Charlie's old wand, and Percy's old rat."**

Everyone that knew the rat's real identity growled.

"Oh, Ron," Mrs. Weasley said.

"It doesn't matter I don't think like that anymore," Ron mumbled.

**Ron reached inside his jacket and pulled out a fat gray rat, which was asleep.**

"Sounds like Peter," young Sirius laughed.

"Speaking of Pete, why isn't he here?" young James asked.

"Because he's a tr-"

Older Remus put a hand over older Sirius's mouth.

"You'll see," Harry said darkly.

**"His name's Scabbers**

"No it's Peter Pettigrew," older Sirius muttered to older Remus.

**and he's useless, he hardly ever wakes up. Percy got an owl from my dad for being made a prefect, but they couldn't aff - I mean, I got Scabbers instead."**

"Shame he didn't die," Ron said.

Older Sirius, older Remus, Hermione, and Harry nodded in agreement.

"That's a terrible thing to think about a pet," Ginny cried, she didn't know the full story on Sirius and Peter.

"You'll see later," Ron muttered.

**Ron's ears went pink. He seemed to think he'd said too much, because he went back to staring out of the window.**

**Harry didn't think there was anything wrong with not being able to afford an owl. After all, he'd never had any money in his life until a month ago, and he told Ron so, all about having to wear Dudley's old clothes and never getting proper birthday presents. This seemed to cheer Ron up.**

"Ron!" Hermione scolded.

**"... and until Hagrid told me, I didn't know anything about being a wizard or about my parents or Voldemort"**

**Ron gasped.**

**"What?" said Harry.**

**"You said You-Know-Who's name!" said Ron, sounding both shocked and impressed. "I'd have thought you, of all people -"**

**"I'm not trying to be brave or anything, saying the name," said Harry, I just never knew you shouldn't. See what I mean? I've got loads to learn... I bet," he added, voicing for the first time something that had been worrying him a lot lately, "I bet I'm the worst in the class."**

"You won't be. There are a lot of people that are muggle-borns," older Sirius said.

"I know Sirius," Harry rolled his eyes.

Older Sirius shrugged.

**"You won't be. There's loads of people who come from Muggle families and they learn quick enough."**

**While they had been talking, the train had carried them out of London. Now they were speeding past fields full of cows and sheep. They were quiet for a time, watching the fields and lanes flick past.**

**Around half past twelve there was a great clattering outside in the corridor and a smiling, dimpled woman slid back their door and said, "Anything off the cart, dears?"**

**Harry, who hadn't had any breakfast, leapt to his feet, but Ron's ears went pink again and he muttered that he'd brought sandwiches. Harry went out into the corridor.**

**He had never had any money for candy with the Dursleys, and now that he had pockets rattling with gold and silver he was ready to buy as many Mars Bars as he could carry - but the woman didn't have Mars Bars.**

Mr. Weasley opened his mouth.

"Muggle sweet," Hermione answered.

**What she did have were Bettie Bott's Every Flavor Beans, Drooble's Best Blowing Gum, Chocolate Frogs. Pumpkin Pasties, Cauldron Cakes, Licorice Wands, and a number of other strange things Harry had never seen in his life. Not wanting to miss anything, he got some of everything and paid the woman eleven silver Sickles and seven bronze Knuts.**

**Ron stared as Harry brought it all back in to the compartment and tipped it onto an empty seat.**

**"Hungry, are you?"**

**"Starving," said Harry, taking a large bite out of a pumpkin pasty.**

**Ron had taken out a lumpy package and unwrapped it. There were four sandwiches inside. He pulled one of them apart and said, "She always forgets I don't like corned beef."**

"Ron, I'm so sorry," Mrs. Weasley said.

"It's no big deal," Ron shrugged.

"It is-" older Remus could see a Mrs. Weasley rant coming on so he started reading.

**"Swap you for one of these," said Harry, holding up a pasty. "Go on -"**

"That's very kind of you Harry," older Lily cooed.

Harry went red.

**"You don't want this, it's all dry," said Ron. "She hasn't got much time," he added quickly, "you know, with five of us." **

Mrs. Weasley started to say something, but older Remus didn't give her a chance.

**"Go on, have a pasty," said Harry, who had never had anything to share before or, indeed, anyone to share it with.**

"So you two became friends over food?" Pavarti asked.

"Yep," Ron and Harry answered together.

"Only those three," Lavender said pointing at the Golden Trio.

"Wait til you see how we became friends with Hermione," Harry laughed.

**It was a nice feeling, sitting there with Ron, eating their way through all Harry's pasties, cakes, and candies (the sandwiches lay forgotten).**

**"What are these?" Harry asked Ron, holding up a pack of Chocolate Frogs. "They're not really frogs, are they?" He was starting to feel that nothing would surprise him.**

**"No," said Ron. "But see what the card is. I'm missing Agrippa."**

**"What?"**

**"Oh, of course, you wouldn't know - Chocolate Frogs have cards, inside them, you know, to collect - famous witches and wizards. I've got about five hundred, but I haven't got Agrippa or Ptolemy."**

**Harry unwrapped his Chocolate Frog and picked up the card. It showed a man's face. He wore half- moon glasses, had a long, crooked nose, and flowing silver hair, beard, and mustache. Underneath the picture was the name Albus Dumbledore.**

**"So this is Dumbledore!" said Harry.**

**"Don't tell me you'd never heard of Dumbledore!" said Ron. "Can I have a frog? I might get Agrippa - thanks**

**Harry turned over his card and read:**

**ALBUS DUMBLEDORE**

**CURRENTLY HEADMASTER OF HOGWARTS**

**Considered by many the greatest wizard of modern times, Dumbledore is particularly famous for his defeat of the dark wizard Grindelwald in 1945, for the discovery of the twelve uses of dragon's blood, and his work on alchemy with his partner, Nicolas Flamel. Professor Dumbledore enjoys chamber music and tenpin bowling.**

"I still can't believe after all that work it was on the back of a chocolate frog card," Ron whispered.

"I know it took us ages to figure that out," Hermione muttered.

"What are you three whispering about?" older James asked.

"Nothing," the three said quickly.

"Don't mind them," Neville said.

"Yeah, they're always doing that," Ginny said.

**Harry turned the card back over and saw, to his astonishment, that Dumbledore's face had disappeared.**

**"He's gone!"**

"It is pretty odd at first," Justin agreed.

**"Well, you can't expect him to hang around all day," said Ron. "He'll be back. No, I've got Morgana again and I've got about six of her... do you want it? You can start collecting."**

**Ron's eyes strayed to the pile of Chocolate Frogs waiting to be unwrapped.**

**"Help yourself," said Harry. "But in, you know, the Muggle world, people just stay put in photos."**

"Really?" Ernie said.

"Odd," Terry commented.

**"Do they? What, they don't move at all?" Ron sounded amazed. "weird!"**

"I know, when I first met Lily's parents it was boring for the people to just stand there," older James said.

**Harry stared as Dumbledore sidled back into the picture on his card and gave him a small smile. Ron was more interested in eating the frogs than looking at the Famous Witches and Wizards cards, but Harry couldn't keep his eyes off them. Soon he had not only Dumbledore and Morgana, but Hengist of Woodcroft, Alberic Grunnion, Circe, Paracelsus, and Merlin. He finally tore his eyes away from the druidess Cliodna, who was scratching her nose, to open a bag of Bertie Bott's Every Flavor Beans.**

"I hate those," older Lily wrinkled her nose.

**"You want to be careful with those," Ron warned Harry. "When they say every flavor, they mean every flavor - you know, you get all the ordinary ones like chocolate and peppermint and marmalade, but then you can get spinach and liver and tripe. George reckons he had a booger- flavored one once."**

"Ew," Anglinia commented.

"You didn't eat it," George stated.

**Ron picked up a green bean, looked at it carefully, and bit into a corner.**

**"Bleaaargh - see? Sprouts."**

"Don't eat any of the green ones they're usually the bad ones," older Sirius advised.

**They had a good time eating the Every Flavor Beans. Harry got toast, coconut, baked bean, strawberry, curry, grass, coffee, sardine, and was even brave enough to nibble the end off a funny gray one Ron wouldn't touch, which turned out to be pepper.**

**The countryside now flying past the window was becoming wilder. The neat fields had gone. Now there were woods, twisting rivers, and dark green hills.**

**There was a knock on the door of their compartment and the round-faced boy Harry had passed on platform nine and threequarters came in. He looked tearful.**

"I'm always losing him," Neville stated.

**"Sorry," he said, "but have you seen a toad at all?"**

**When they shook their heads, he wailed, "I've lost him! He keeps getting away from me!"**

**"He'll turn up," said Harry.**

**"Yes," said the boy miserably. "Well, if you see him..."**

**He left.**

**"Don't know why he's so bothered," said Ron. "If I'd brought a toad I'd lose it as quick as I could. Mind you, I brought Scabbers,**

Everyone that knows the whole story growls.

**so I can't talk."**

**The rat was still snoozing on Ron's lap.**

**"He might have died and you wouldn't know the difference," said Ron in disgust. "I tried to turn him yellow yesterday to make him more interesting, but the spell didn't work. I'll show you, look..."**

**He rummaged around in his trunk and pulled out a very battered-looking wand. It was chipped in places and something white was glinting at the end.**

**"Unicorn hair's nearly poking out. Anyway**

**He had just raised his wand when the compartment door slid open again. The toadless boy was back, but this time he had a girl with him. She was already wearing her new Hogwarts robes.**

**"Has anyone seen a toad? Neville's lost one," she said. She had a bossy sort of voice, lots of bushy brown hair, and rather large front teeth.**

There was a roar of laughter in the hall.

Hermione glared at Harry.

**"We've already told him we haven't seen it," said Ron, but the girl wasn't listening, she was looking at the wand in his hand.**

**"Oh, are you doing magic? Let's see it, then."**

**She sat down. Ron looked taken aback.**

**"Er - all right."**

**He cleared his throat.**

**"Sunshine, daisies, butter mellow, Turn this stupid, fat rat yellow."**

"I can't believe you fell for that, George said.

**He waved his wand, but nothing happened. Scabbers stayed gray and fast asleep.**

**"Are you sure that's a real spell?" said the girl. "Well, it's not very good, is it? I've tried a few simple spells just for practice and it's all worked for me. Nobody in my family's magic at all, it was ever such a surprise when I got my letter, but I was ever so pleased, of course, I mean, it's the very best school of witchcraft there is, I've heard - I've learned all our course books by heart, of course, I just hope it will be enough - I'm Hermione Granger, by the way, who are you.**

**She said all this very fast.**

"That was a bit over the top," Ginny commented.

**Harry looked at Ron, and was relieved to see by his stunned face that he hadn't learned all the course books by heart either.**

Hermione blushed.

"Only nutters do," young Sirius said.

**"I'm Ron Weasley," Ron muttered.**

**"Harry Potter," said Harry.**

**"Are you really?" said Hermione. "I know all about you, of course - I got a few extra books. for background reading, and you're in Modern Magical History and The Rise and Fall of the Dark Arts and Great Wizarding Events of the Twentieth Century.**

"Woah," older James said.

"Now you know how I feel," Harry said.

**"Am I?" said Harry, feeling dazed.**

**"Goodness, didn't you know, I'd have found out everything I could if it was me," said Hermione. "Do either of you know what house you'll be in? I've been asking around, and I hope I'm in Gryffindor, it sounds by far the best; I hear Dumbledore himself was in it, but I suppose Ravenclaw wouldn't be too bad... Anyway, we'd better go and look for Neville's toad. You two had better change, you know, I expect we'll be there soon."**

**And she left, taking the toadless boy with her.**

**"Whatever house I'm in, I hope she's not in it," said Ron.**

"Sorry," Ron muttered.

"It's no big deal, I was awful back then," Hermione shrugged.

**He threw his wand back into his trunk. "Stupid spell - George gave it to me, bet he knew it was a dud."**

**"What house are your brothers in?" asked Harry.**

**"Gryffindor," said Ron. Gloom seemed to be settling on him again. "Mom and Dad were in it, too. I don't know what they'll say if I'm not. I don't suppose Ravenclaw would be too bad,**

Harry started laughing.

"What?" Ron demaned.

"The hat would be metal to put you in Ravenclaw," Harry laughed.

Ron hit him on the head.

**but imagine if they put me in Slytherin."**

"There is nothing wronng with being in Slytherin," Harry stated.

Everyone, except the Slytherins, Hermione, Ron and Dumbledore looked at Harry like he was crazy.

"Slytherins are evil," young James said.

"Not all of them, and some Gryffindors are just as bad," Harry pressed.

"Name one," young Sirius said.

"Wait til we get to book 3," Harry said.

**"That's the house Vol-, I mean, You-Know-Who was in?"**

"I forgot you used to not say the name either," Hermione said.

"Nothing to be scared of, just a name," Harry shrugged.

Older Lily and James looked at Harry proudly.

**"Yeah," said Ron. He flopped back into his seat, looking depressed.**

**"You know, I think the ends of Scabbers' whiskers are a bit lighter," said Harry, trying to take Ron's mind off houses.**

"That's so sweet," Alice said.

**"So what do your oldest brothers do now that they've left, anyway?"**

**Harry was wondering what a wizard did once he'd finished school.**

**"Charlie's in Romania studying dragons, and Bill's in Africa doing something for Gringotts," said Ron. "Did you hear about**

**Gringotts? It's been all over the Daily Prophet, but I don't suppose you get that with the Muggles - someone tried to rob a high security vault."**

"What?!" older James and Sirius yelled.

Alice and young Lily gasped.

"That's impossible," Frank muttered.

"Who could pull that off?" young Remus asked.

The D.A shared a look.

**Harry stared.**

**"Really? What happened to them?"**

**"Nothing, that's why it's such big news. They haven't been caught. My dad says it must've been a powerful Dark wizard to get round Gringotts, but they don't think they took anything, that's what's odd. 'Course, everyone gets scared when something like this happens in case You-Know-Who's behind it."**

"Sweet Merlin," young James muttered.

**Harry turned this news over in his mind. He was starting to get a prickle of fear every time You- Know-Who was mentioned. He supposed this was all part of entering the magical world, but it had been a lot more comfortable saying "Voldemort" without worrying.**

**"What's your Quidditch team?" Ron asked.**

**"Er - I don't know any," Harry confessed.**

**"What!" Ron looked dumbfounded. "Oh, you wait, it's the best game in the world -" And he was off, explaining all about the four balls and the positions of the seven players, describing famous games he'd been to with his brothers and the broomstick he'd like to get if he had the money. He was just taking Harry through the finer points of the game when the compartment door slid open yet again, but it wasn't Neville the toadless boy, or Hermione Granger this time.**

"Will I be known as anything as the toadless boy the whole story?" Neville questioned.

"Not much longer," Harry replied.

**Three boys entered, and Harry recognized the middle one at once: it was the pale boy from Madam Malkin's robe shop.**

Growls go here.

**He was looking at Harry with a lot more interest than he'd shown back in Diagon Alley.**

**"Is it true?" he said. "They're saying all down the train that Harry Potter's in this compartment. So it's you, is it?"**

**"Yes," said Harry. He was looking at the other boys. Both of them were thickset and looked extremely mean. Standing on either side of the pale boy, they looked like bodyguards.**

**"Oh, this is Crabbe and this is Goyle," said the pale boy carelessly, noticing where Harry was looking. "And my name's Malfoy, Draco Malfoy."**

**Ron gave a slight cough, which might have been hiding a snigger. Draco Malfoy looked at him.**

**"Think my name's funny, do you? No need to ask who you are. My father told me all the Weasleys have red hair, freckles, and more children than they can afford."**

More growls.

**He turned back to Harry. "You'll soon find out some wizarding families are much better than others, Potter. You don't want to go making friends with the wrong sort. I can help you there."**

**He held out his hand to shake Harry's,**

"Don't take it!" older James ordered.

**but Harry didn't take it.**

"Good," older James nodded.

**"I think I can tell who the wrong sort are for myself, thanks," he said coolly.**

"You tell him Harry!" older Sirius cheered.

**Draco Malfoy didn't go red, but a pink tinge appeared in his pale cheeks.**

**"I'd be careful if I were you, Potter," he said slowly. "Unless you're a bit politer you'll go the same way as your parents.**

"How dare he?!" older Sirius shouted.

"If he does anything to my son he'll wish he was never born," older James snarled.

"What kind of person says that to somebody?" Tonks cried her hair turning red.

"He better not hurt you," older Lily said to Harry.

"He didn't," Harry replied.

**They didn't know what was good for them, either. You hang around with riffraff like the Weasleys and that Hagrid, and it'll rub off on you."**

"They are thousands times better than you," Hermione snapped.

**Both Harry and Ron stood up.**

"Way to go Harry. Stand up for your friends," older James cheered.

**"Say that again," Ron said, his face as red as his hair.**

**"Oh, you're going to fight us, are you?" Malfoy sneered.**

"If we needed to, yes," Ron said casually.

**"Unless you get out now," said Harry, more bravely than he felt, because Crabbe and Goyle were a lot bigger than him or Ron.**

"Don't you'll get hurt and in a lot of trouble," older Lily fretted.

**"But we don't feet like leaving, do we, boys? We've eaten all our food and you still seem to have some."**

"That's not yours," Katie snarled.

**Goyle reached toward the Chocolate Frogs next to Ron - Ron leapt forward, but before he'd so much as touched Goyle, Goyle let out a horrible yell.**

"What happened?" young James asked.

"Shh," young Lily shushed.

**Scabbers the rat was hanging off his finger, sharp little teeth sunk deep into Goyle's knuckle - Crabbe and Malfoy backed away as Goyle swung Scabbers round and round, howling, and when Scabbets finally flew off and hit the window, all three of them disappeared at once.**

Everyone laughed.

**Perhaps they thought there were more rats lurking among the sweets, or perhaps they'd heard footsteps, because a second later, Hermione Granger had come in.**

**"What has been going on?" she said, looking at the sweets all over the floor and Ron picking up Scabbers by his tail.**

**I think he's been knocked out," Ron said to Harry. He looked closer at Scabbers. "No - I don't believe it - he's gone back to sleep-"**

"Too bad he didn't die," older Remus whispered to Sirius.

**And so he had.**

**"You've met Malfoy before?"**

**Harry explained about their meeting in Diagon Alley.**

**"I've heard of his family," said Ron darkly. "They were some of the first to come back to our side after You-Know-Who disappeared. Said they'd been bewitched. My dad doesn't believe it. He says Malfoy's father didn't need an excuse to go over to the Dark Side." He turned to Hermione. "Can we help you with something?"**

"You three used to be horrible to each other," Hannah stated.

"How did you ever become friends?" Padma inquried.

"Long story," Harry replied.

**"You'd better hurry up and put your robes on, I've just been up to the front to ask the conductor, and he says we're nearly there. You haven't been fighting, have you? You'll be in trouble before we even get there!"**

**"Scabbers has been fighting, not us," said Ron, scowling at her. "Would you mind leaving while we change?"**

**"All right - I only came in here because people outside are behaving very childishly, racing up and down the corridors," said Hermione in a sniffy voice. "And you've got dirt on your nose, by the way, did you know?"**

**Ron glared at her as she left. Harry peered out of the window. It was getting dark. He could see mountains and forests under a deep purple sky. The train did seem to be slowing down.**

**He and Ron took off their jackets and pulled on their long black robes. Ron's were a bit short for him, you could see his sneakers underneath them.**

Mr. Weasley sighed.

**A voice echoed through the train: "We will be reaching Hogwarts in five minutes' time. Please leave your luggage on the train, it will be taken to the school separately."**

**Harry's stomach lurched with nerves and Ron, he saw, looked pale under his freckles. They crammed their pockets with the last of the sweets**

"Of course you did," Hermione sighed, but she was smiling.

Ron and Harry grinned.

**and joined the crowd thronging the corridor.**

**The train slowed right down and finally stopped. People pushed their way toward the door and out on to a tiny, dark platform. Harry shivered in the cold night air. Then a lamp came bobbing over the heads of the students, and Harry heard a familiar voice: "Firs' years! Firs' years over here! All right there, Harry?"**

**Hagrid's big hairy face beamed over the sea of heads.**

**"C'mon, follow me - any more firs' years? Mind yer step, now! Firs' years follow me!"**

**Slipping and stumbling, they followed Hagrid down what seemed to be a steep, narrow path. It was so dark on either side of them that Harry thought there must be thick trees there. Nobody spoke much. Neville, the boy who kept losing his toad, sniffed once or twice.**

**"Ye' all get yer firs' sight o' Hogwarts in a sec," Hagrid called over his shoulder, "jus' round this bend here."**

**There was a loud "Oooooh!"**

"It is rather amazing," Alice said.

**The narrow path had opened suddenly onto the edge of a great black take. Perched atop a high mountain on the other side, its windows sparkling in the starry sky, was a vast castle with many turrets and towers.**

**"No more'n four to a boat!" Hagrid called, pointing to a fleet of little boats sitting in the water by the shore. Harry and Ron were followed into their boat by Neville and Hermione. "Everyone in?" shouted Hagrid, who had a boat to himself. "Right then - FORWARD!"**

**And the fleet of little boats moved off all at once, gliding across the lake, which was as smooth as glass. Everyone was silent, staring up at the great castle overhead. It towered over them as they sailed nearer and nearer to the cliff on which it stood.**

**"Heads down!" yelled Hagrid as the first boats reached the cliff; they all bent their heads and the little boats carried them through a curtain of ivy that hid a wide opening in the cliff face. They were carried along a dark tunnel, which seemed to be taking them right underneath the castle, until they reached a kind of underground harbor, where they clambered out onto rocks and pebbles.**

**"Oy, you there! Is this your toad?" said Hagrid, who was checking the boats as people climbed out of them.**

**"Trevor!" cried Neville blissfully, holding out his hands. Then they clambered up a passageway in the rock after Hagrid's lamp, coming out at last onto smooth, damp grass right in the shadow of the castle.**

**They walked up a flight of stone steps and crowded around the huge, Oak front door.**

**"Everyone here? You there, still got yer toad?"**

**Hagrid raised a gigantic fist and knocked three times on the castle door.**

"Who wants to read next?" old Remus asked.

"I will," young Lily said.


	8. The Sorting Hat

**THE SORTING HAT**

**The door swung open at once. A tall, black-haired witch in emerald-green robes stood there. She had a very stern face and Harry's first thought was that this was not someone to cross.**

"Than why did you have they need to at every given moment?" McGonagall sighed.

"I had good reason," Harry shrugged.

"It better be a good reason," older Lily said strenly.

"I have a feeling you'll agree with me on the very good reason thing," Harry said.

**"The firs' years, Professor McGonagall," said Hagrid.**

**"Thank you, Hagrid. I will take them from here."**

**She pulled the door wide. The entrance hall was so big you could have fit the whole of the Dursleys' house in it. The stone walls were lit with flaming torches like the ones at Gringotts, the ceiling was too high to make out, and a magnificent marble staircase facing them led to the upper floors.**

**They followed Professor McGonagall across the flagged stone floor. Harry could hear the drone of hundreds of voices from a doorway to the right -the rest of the school must already be here - but Professor McGonagall showed the first years into a small, empty chamber off the hall. They crowded in, standing rather closer together than they would usually have done, peering about nervously.**

**"Welcome to Hogwarts," said Professor McGonagall. "The start-of-term banquet will begin shortly, but before you take your seats in the Great Hall, you will be sorted into your houses. The Sorting is a very important ceremony because, while you are here, your house will be something like your family within Hogwarts. You will have classes with the rest of your house, sleep in your house dormitory, and spend free time in your house common room.**

**"The four houses are called Gryffindor,**

All the Gryffindors cheer.

** Hufflepuff,**

All the Hufflepuffss.

** Ravenclaw,**

And the Ravenclaws.

** and Slytherin.**

Everyone looked at the few Slytherins.

"Again, we are not that immature," Regulus repeated.

** Each house has its own noble history and each has produced outstanding witches and wizards.**

"And murders," older Remus whispered to his wife. He was looking at Snape. Tonks nodded.

** While you are at Hogwarts, your triumphs will earn your house points, while any rulebreaking will lose house points.**

"And sometimes it gains you points," Ron added.

"You three were a special case," Dumbledore smiled.

Older Lily and James were looking very confused.

The Golden Trio grinned.

** At the end of the year, the house with the most points is awarded the house cup, a great honor.**

"Which has been Gryffindor's for the past six years!" Colin yelled. More cheers.

** I hope each of you will be a credit to whichever house becomes yours.**

"I say we do a bloody good job of making sure we always get the cup," Ron whispered to Hermione and Harry.

The three sniggered.

**"The Sorting Ceremony will take place in a few minutes in front of the rest of the school. I suggest you all smarten yourselves up as much as you can while you are waiting."**

**Her eyes lingered for a moment on Neville's cloak, which was fastened under his left ear,**

"How did you mange that?" Frank asked.

"He's Neville," Harry, Ron, Seamus, and Dean answered.

Neville just grinned.

** and on Ron's smudged nose.**

Ron smiled sheepishly.

** Harry nervously tried to flatten his hair.**

"Not going to work," older James, young James, Harry, older Lily, older Remus, older Sirius, younger Sirius, Mrs. Weasley, young Remus, and Ginny said.

**"I shall return when we are ready for you," said Professor McGonagall. "Please wait quietly."**

**She left the chamber. Harry swallowed.**

**"How exactly do they sort us into houses?" he asked Ron.**

**"Some sort of test, I think. Fred said it hurts a lot,**

"Fred!"

** but I think he was joking."**

"Do you believe everything we say?" Fred asked.

"Well, sometimes you tell the truth so it's hard to tell when you're joking," Ron explained.

"That's the point," George pointed out.

"It's also what every true pranksters do," young James said.

**Harry's heart gave a horrible jolt.**

"That's unusual," Luna commented.

** A test? In front of the whole school? But he didn't know any magic yet - what on earth would he have to do? He hadn't expected something like this the moment they arrived. He looked around anxiously and saw that everyone else looked terrified, too. No one was talking much except Hermione Granger, who was whispering very fast about all the spells she'd learned and wondering which one she'd need.**

Everyone laughed.

Hermione blushed.

** Harry tried hard not to listen to her. He'd never been more nervous, never, not even when he'd had to take a school report home to the Dursleys saying that he'd somehow turned his teacher's wig blue.**

"Nice one," the twins choursed.

** He kept his eyes fixed on the door. Any second now, Professor McGonagall would come back and lead him to his doom.**

"That's a little over dramatic," Regulus said dryly.

"It wouldn't be if you lived my life," Harry muttered.

**Then something happened that made him jump about a foot in the air - several people behind him screamed.**

"What is it?" older Lily demanded.

"Probably just the ghost," older James shrugged.

His wife glared at him.

**"What the -?"**

**He gasped. So did the people around him. About twenty ghosts had just streamed through the back wall. Pearly-white and slightly transparent, they glided across the room talking to one another and hardly glancing at the first years. They seemed to be arguing.**

"They do that every year. They plan it out," older Remus said.

** What looked like a fat little monk was saying: "Forgive and forget, I say, we ought to give him a second chance -"**

"They haven't even changed what they said," older Sirius said shaking his head.

**"My dear Friar, haven't we given Peeves all the chances he deserves? He gives us all a bad name and you know, he's not really even a ghost - I say, what are you all doing here?"**

**A ghost wearing a ruff and tights had suddenly noticed the first years.**

**Nobody answered.**

**"New students!" said the Fat Friar, smiling around at them. "About to be Sorted, I suppose?"**

**A few people nodded mutely.**

"Scared much?" older James smirked.

"You were shaking," older Sirius teased.

Older James stuck his tongue out at his friend.

**"Hope to see you in Hufflepuff!" said the Friar. "My old house, you know."**

**"Move along now," said a sharp voice. "The Sorting Ceremony's about to start."**

**Professor McGonagall had returned. One by one, the ghosts floated away through the opposite wall.**

**"Now, form a line," Professor McGonagall told the first years, "and follow me."**

**Feeling oddly as though his legs had turned to lead,**

"Harry you do the oddest things," Luna stated.

** Harry got into line behind a boy with sandy hair, with Ron behind him, and they walked out of the chamber, back across the hall, and through a pair of double doors into the Great Hall.**

**Harry had never even imagined such a strange and splendid place. It was lit by thousands and thousands of candles that were floating in midair over four long tables, where the rest of the students were sitting. These tables were laid with glittering golden plates and goblets. At the top of the hall was another long table where the teachers were sitting. Professor McGonagall led the first years up here, so that they came to a halt in a line facing the other students, with the teachers behind them. The hundreds of faces staring at them looked like pale lanterns in the flickering candlelight. Dotted here and there among the students, the ghosts shone misty silver. Mainly to avoid all the staring eyes, Harry looked upward and saw a velvety black ceiling dotted with stars.**

"He even hated the staring then," George said shaking his eyes.

** He heard Hermione whisper, "Its bewitched to look like the sky outside. I read about it in Hogwarts, A History."**

"And we having stopped hearing about it yet," Ron muttered to Harry.

Harry coughed to hide his snort.

**It was hard to believe there was a ceiling there at all, and that the Great Hall didn't simply open on to the heavens.**

**Harry quickly looked down again as Professor McGonagall silently placed a four-legged stool in front of the first years. On top of the stool she put a pointed wizard's hat. This hat was patched and frayed and extremely dirty. Aunt Petunia wouldn't have let it in the house.**

Both Lily's snorted at the thought, as did both Snape's.

**Maybe they had to try and get a rabbit out of it, Harry thought wildly,**

"What?" older Sirius asked.

"Muggle thing," older Lily explained.

** that seemed the sort of thing - noticing that everyone in the hall was now staring at the hat, he stared at it, too. For a few seconds, there was complete silence. Then the hat twitched. A rip near the brim opened wide like a mouth - and the hat began to sing:**

"That was a little freaky at first," Justin commented.

The people from muggle families agreed.

**"Oh, you may not think I'm pretty,**

**But don't judge on what you see,**

**I'll eat myself if you can find**

**A smarter hat than me.**

**You can keep your bowlers black,**

**Your top hats sleek and tall,**

**For I'm the Hogwarts Sorting Hat**

**And I can cap them all.**

**There's nothing hidden in your head**

**The Sorting Hat can't see,**

**So try me on and I will tell you**

**Where you ought to be.**

**You might belong in Gryffindor,**

**Where dwell the brave at heart,**

Cheers.

**Their daring, nerve, and chivalry Set Gryffindors apart;**

**You might belong in Hufflepuff,**

**Where they are just and loyal,**

Cheers.

**Those patient Hufflepuffis are true And unafraid of toil;**

**Or yet in wise old Ravenclaw,**

**if you've a ready mind,**

**Where those of wit and learning,**

Cheers.

**Will always find their kind;**

**Or perhaps in Slytherin**

**You'll make your real friends,**

**Those cunning folk use any means**

**To achieve their ends.**

Nothing.

**So put me on! Don't be afraid!**

**And don't get in a flap!**

**You're in safe hands (though I have none)**

**For I'm a Thinking Cap!"**

**The whole hall burst into applause as the hat finished its song. It bowed to each of the four tables and then became quite still again.**

**"So we've just got to try on the hat!" Ron whispered to Harry. "I'll kill Fred, he was going on about wrestling a troll."**

Harry, Ron, and Hermione gasped.

"What?" older James asked in alarm.

"Nothing," the three said.

The older Marauders and Lily raised an eyebrow, clearly not believing them.

"Were you trying to give us a warning?" Harry whispered, so nobody could hear him. Not even the Remuses.

Ron just looked dumbfounded.

**Harry smiled weakly. Yes, trying on the hat was a lot better than having to do a spell, but he did wish they could have tried it on without everyone watching.**

"I know what you mean," older Sirius muttered.

** The hat seemed to be asking rather alot; Harry didn't feel brave or quick-witted or any of it at the moment. If only the hat had mentioned a house for people who felt a bit queasy, that would have been the one for him.**

Everyone laughed.

**Professor McGonagall now stepped forward holding a long roll of parchment.**

**"When I call your name, you will put on the hat and sit on the stool to be sorted," she said. "Abbott, Hannah!"**

**A pink-faced girl with blonde pigtails stumbled out of line, put on the hat, which fell right down over her eyes, and sat down. A moments pause -**

**"HUFFLEPUFF!" shouted the hat.**

Cheers.

**The table on the right cheered and clapped as Hannah went to sit down at the Hufflepuff table. Harry saw the ghost of the Fat Friar waving merrily at her.**

**"Bones, Susan!"**

**"HUFFLEPUFF!" shouted the hat again, and Susan scuttled off to sit next to Hannah.**

Tonks was cheering for her house louder than anyone.

**"Boot, Terry!"**

**"RAVENCLAW!"**

The Ravenclaws cheered.

**The table second from the left clapped this time; several Ravenclaws stood up to shake hands with Terry as he joined them.**

**" Brocklehurst, Mandy" went to Ravenclaw too, but "Brown, Lavender" became the first new Gryffindor,**

All the Gryffindors cheered.

** and the table on the far left exploded with cheers; Harry could see Ron's twin brothers catcalling.**

Gred and Feorge were doing the same thing as their book shelves.

**"Bulstrode, Millicent" then became a Slytherin. Perhaps it was Harry's imagination, after all he'd heard about Slytherin, but he thought they looked like an unpleasant lot.**

"They are," younger Sirius sang out happily.

Harry laughed.

** He was starting to feel definitely sick now. He remembered being picked for teams during gym at his old school. He had always been last to be chosen, not because he was no good, but because no one wanted Dudley to think they liked him.**

**"Finch-Fletchley, Justin!"**

**"HUFFLEPUFF!"**

**Sometimes, Harry noticed, the hat shouted out the house at once, but at others it took a little while to decide. "Finnigan, Seamus," the sandy-haired boy next to Harry in the line, sat on the stool for almost a whole minute before the hat declared him a Gryffindor.**

WOOOOO!"

**"Granger, Hermione!"**

**Hermione almost ran to the stool and jammed the hat eagerly on her head.**

**"GRYFFINDOR!" shouted the hat.**

Harry and Ron cheered the loudest.

** Ron groaned.**

"Sorry," Ron muttered.

"I forgave both of you years ago," Hermione shrugged off.

**A horrible thought struck Harry, as horrible thoughts always do when you're very nervous. What if he wasn't chosen at all? What if he just sat there with the hat over his eyes for ages, until Professor McGonagall jerked it off his head and said there had obviously been a mistake and he'd better get back on the train?**

"Harry," older Lily sighed. She felt terrible, because she wasn't there for her son.

"It's not your fault," Harry said.

Older James and Lily couldn't look at Harry. They both felt that if they hadn't fought Voldemort, than Harry would have had a better life.

**When Neville Longbottom, the boy who kept losing his toad, was called, he fell over on his way to the stool. The hat took a long time to decide with Neville. When it finally shouted, "GRYFFINDOR," Neville ran off still wearing it, and had to jog back amid gales of laughter to give it to "MacDougal, Morag."**

**Malfoy swaggered forward when his name was called and got his wish at once: the hat had barely touched his head when it screamed, "SLYTHERIN!"**

**Malfoy went to join his friends Crabbe and Goyle, looking pleased with himself.**

**There weren't many people left now. "Moon" "Nott" "Parkinson" then a pair of twin girls, "Patil" and "Patil" then "Perks, Sally-Anne" and then, at last - "Potter, Harry!"**

**As Harry stepped forward, whispers suddenly broke out like little hissing fires all over the hall.**

**"Potter, did she say?"**

**The Harry Potter?"**

**The last thing Harry saw before the hat dropped over his eyes was the hall full of people craning to get a good look at him. Next second he was looking at the black inside of the hat. He waited.**

**Hmm," said a small voice in his ear. "Difficult. Very difficult. Plenty of courage, I see. Not a bad mind either. There's talent, A my goodness, yes - and a nice thirst to prove yourself, now that's interesting... So where shall I put you?"**

"Gryffindor!" the young Marauders cheered.

**Harry gripped the edges of the stool and thought, "Not Slytherin, not Slytherin."**

**"Not Slytherin, eh?" said the small voice. "Are you sure? You could be great, you know, it's all here in your head, and Slytherin will help you on the way to greatness, no doubt about that**

"You can not put my son in Slytherin!" young James snapped.

"Shut up," older Sirius snarled.

"It doesn't matter to us," older James said.

"We love you and are proud of you no matter what," older Lily added.

"I know," Harry smiled.

** - no? Well, if you're sure - better be GRYFFINDOR!"**

All the Gryffindors cheered. The older Marauders and Lily were cheering the loudest, making Harry blush.

**Harry heard the hat shout the last word to the whole hall. He took off the hat and walked shakily toward the Gryffindor table. He was so relieved to have been chosen and not put in Slytherin, he hardly noticed that he was getting the loudest cheer yet. Percy the Prefect got up and shook his hand vigorously, while the Weasley twins yelled, "We got Potter! We got Potter!" Harry sat down opposite the ghost in the ruff he'd seen earlier. The ghost patted his arm, giving Harry the sudden, horrible feeling he'd just plunged it into a bucket of ice-cold water.**

**He could see the High Table properly now. At the end nearest him sat Hagrid, who caught his eye and gave him the thumbs up. Harry grinned back.**

Hagrid was beaming.

** And there, in the center of the High Table, in a large gold chair, sat Albus Dumbledore. Harry recognized him at once from the card he'd gotten out of the Chocolate Frog on the train. Dumbledore's silver hair was the only thing in the whole hall that shone as brightly as the ghosts. Harry spotted Professor Quirtell, too, the nervous young man from the Leaky Cauldron. He was looking very peculiar in a large purple turban.**

**And now there were only three people left to be sorted. "Thomas, Dean," a Black boy even taller than Ron, joined Harry at the Gryffindor table. "Turpin, Lisa," became a Ravenclaw and then it was Ron's turn. He was pale green by now. Harry crossed his fingers under the table and a second later the hat had shouted, "GRYFFINDOR!"**

**Harry clapped loudly with the rest as Ron collapsed into the chair next to him.**

**"Well done, Ron, excellent," said Percy Weasley pompously across Harry as "Zabini, Blaise," was made a Slytherin. Professor McGonagall rolled up her scroll and took the Sorting Hat away.**

**Harry looked down at his empty gold plate. He had only just realized how hungry he was. The pumpkin pasties seemed ages ago.**

"It always seems to work like that doesn't it," older Remus mused.

**Albus Dumbledore had gotten to his feet. He was beaming at the students, his arms opened wide, as if nothing could have pleased him more than to see them all there.**

"Very little could," Dumbledore smiled.

Abeforth snorted.

**"Welcome," he said. "Welcome to a new year at Hogwarts! Before we begin our banquet, I would like to say a few words. And here they are: Nitwit! Blubber! Oddment! Tweak!**

**"Thank you!"**

**He sat back down. Everybody clapped and cheered. Harry didn't know whether to laugh or not.**

**"Is he - a bit mad?" he asked Percy uncertainly.**

**"Mad?" said Percy airily. "He's a genius! Best wizard in the world! But he is a bit mad, yes. Potatoes, Harry?"**

**Harry's mouth fell open. The dishes in front of him were now piled with food. He had never seen so many things he liked to eat on one table: roast beef, roast chicken, pork chops and lamb chops, sausages, bacon and steak, boiled potatoes, roast potatoes, fries, Yorkshire pudding, peas, carrots, gravy, ketchup, and, for some strange reason, peppermint humbugs.**

"I'd never seen so much food in my life," Harry commented.

**The Dursleys had never exactly starved Harry,**

"Your definition and mine of starved is a lot different," Ron said.

Growls and threats go here.

** but he'd never been allowed to eat as much as he liked. Dudley had always taken anything that Harry really wanted, even if It made him sick.**

"Brat."

"Git."

"Prat."

"Arse."

"Mummy's boy."

"Fat arse."

"Bastard."

"We get it!" Katie shouted at the twins.

They smirked.

** Harry piled his plate with a bit of everything except the peppermints and began to eat. It was all delicious.**

**"That does look good," said the ghost in the ruff sadly, watching Harry cut up his steak,**

**"Can't you -?"**

"How would they be able to?" Regulus asked, looking at Harry like he was a idiot.

"Lay off of him," older Sirius snapped.

**I haven't eaten for nearly four hundred years," said the ghost. "I don't need to, of course, but one does miss it. I don't think I've in troduced myself? Sir Nicholas de Mimsy-Porpington at your service. Resident ghost of Gryffindor Tower."**

**"I know who you are!" said Ron suddenly. "My brothers told me about you - you're Nearly Headless Nick!"**

**"I would prefer you to call me Sir Nicholas de Mimsy -" the ghost began stiffly, but sandy-haired Seamus Finnigan interrupted.**

**"Nearly Headless? How can you be nearly headless?"**

**Sir Nicholas looked extremely miffed,**

"He's faking," young Sirius said.

"He really likes it when people ask him that," young James added.

"How do you know?" Frank asked.

"Let's just say it involved chickens, Peeves, first years, Nick, water balleons, tampons, and underwear," young Remus said smartly.

Everyone looked at him in disbeilf.

"I am a Marauder you know," older Remus pointed out.

"The quiet one, but one all the same," young Remus agreed.

"I so get to hear this story later," Harry laughed.

"No you don't," older Lily said.

"Yes he will," older James argued.

Older Lily glared at him.

The two fought for ten minutes before older Remus told them to shut up.

** as if their little chat wasn't going at all the way he wanted.**

**"Like this," he said irritably. He seized his left ear and pulled. His whole head swung off his neck and fell onto his shoulder as if it was on a hinge. Someone had obviously tried to behead him, but not done it properly. Looking pleased at the stunned looks on their faces, Nearly Headless Nick flipped his head back onto his neck, coughed, and said, "So - new Gryffindors! I hope you're going to help us win the house championship this year? Gryffindors have never gone so long without winning. Slytherins have got the cup six years in a row! The Bloody Baron's becoming almost unbearable - he's the Slytherin ghost."**

"Six years," young James gasped.

Young Sirius looked horified.

**Harry looked over at the Slytherin table and saw a horrible ghost sitting there, with blank staring eyes, a gaunt face, and robes stained with silver blood. He was right next to Malfoy who, Harry was pleased to see, didn't look too pleased with the seating arrangements.**

**"How did he get covered in blood?" asked Seamus with great interest.**

**"I've never asked," said Nearly Headless Nick delicately.**

"We know," the Golden Trio chanted.

"Of course you do," older Sirius sighed.

**When everyone had eaten as much as they could, the remains of the food faded from the plates, leaving them sparkling clean as before. A moment later the desserts appeared. Blocks of ice cream in every flavor you could think of, apple pies, treacle tarts, chocolate eclairs and jam doughnuts, trifle, strawberries, Jell-O, rice pudding - "**

**As Harry helped himself to a treacle tart,**

"My favorite," both James said.

** the talk turned to their families.**

**"I'm half-and-half," said Seamus. "Me dad's a Muggle. Mom didn't tell him she was a witch 'til after they were married. Bit of a nasty shock for him."**

"That's not good," older Lily muttered.

"She should have told him earlier," Severus mumbled.

"Lucky he wasn't like my father," Snape whispered.

**The others laughed.**

"It's not funny," Harry said.

**"What about you, Neville?" said Ron."Well, my gran brought me up**

"What happened to us?" Alice asked.

"Fifth year," Neville whispered pale.

"Fourth," Harry corrected.

"Forth?" Neville was shocked.

Harry nodded.

"Why didn't you say anything?"

"I promised not to," Harry explained.

Neville smiled.

Everyone from the past, older James, and older Lily were looking very confused right now.

** and she's a witch," said Neville, "but the family thought I was all- Muggle for ages.**

"You mean squib," Regulus sneered.

"Shut up!" Luna snapped. Her voice had lost it's dreamy quality.

Regulus looked nervous.

** My Great Uncle Algie kept trying to catch me off my guard and force some magic out of me - he pushed me off the end of Blackpool pier once,**

"HE WHAT?!" Alice screached.

** I nearly drowned**

"I'll be having a talk with them when we get back," Frank grumbled.

** - but nothing happened until I was eight. Great Uncle Algie came round for dinner, and he was hanging me out of an upstairs window by the ankles**

"And hex him too," Frank added.

** when my Great Auntie Enid offered him a meringue and he accidentally let go.**

Alice went deathly pale.

** But I bounced - all the way down the garden and into the road. They were all really pleased, Gran was crying, she was so happy.**

"Yes cry because he has magic not because he's safe," older Lily muttered outraged.

** And you should have seen their faces when I got in here - they thought I might not be magic enough to come, you see. Great Uncle Algie was so pleased he bought me my toad."**

"Must not have been to pleased," older Sirius muttered.

Older Remus elbowed him in the gut.

**On Harry's other side, Percy Weasley and Hermione were talking about lessons ("I do hope they start right away, there's so much to learn, I'm particularly interested in Transfiguration, you know, turning something into something else, of course, it's supposed to be very difficult-"; "You'll be starting small, just matches into needles and that sort of thing - ").**

**Harry, who was starting to feel warm and sleepy, looked up at the High Table again. Hagrid was drinking deeply from his goblet. Professor McGonagall was talking to Professor Dumbledore. Professor Quirrell, in his absurd turban, was talking to a teacher with greasy black hair, a hooked nose, and sallow skin.**

"No," older James whispered. It couldn't be, Snape would be terrible to Harry because of him.

**It happened very suddenly. The hook-nosed teacher looked past Quirrell's turban straight into Harry's eyes - and a sharp, hot pain shot across the scar on Harry's forehead.**

"Are you okay?" older Lily and James asked.

"Fine," Harry answered.

**"Ouch!" Harry clapped a hand to his head.**

**"What is it?" asked Percy.**

**"N-nothing."**

"Don't tell Percy anything he go straight to the Ministry to rat everyone out," older Sirius muttered.

Another elbow to the gut.

**The pain had gone as quickly as it had come. Harder to shake off was the feeling Harry had gotten from the teacher's look - a feeling that he didn't like Harry at all.**

Older James groaned.

**"Who's that teacher talking to Professor Quirrell?" he asked Percy.**

**"Oh, you know Quirrell already, do you? No wonder he's looking so nervous, that's Professor Snape.**

Older James started hitting his head on the table.

** He teaches Potions, but he doesn't want to - everyone knows he's after Quirrell's job. Knows an awful lot about the Dark Arts, Snape."**

Older James stopped hitting his head on the table.

**Harry watched Snape for a while,**

"Why would you want to look at that?" young James looked disgusted.

** but Snape didn't look at him again.**

**At last, the desserts too disappeared, and Professor Dumbledore got to his feet again. The hall fell silent.**

**"Ahern - just a few more words now that we are all fed and watered. I have a few start-of-term notices to give you.**

**"First years should note that the forest on the grounds is forbidden to all pupils. And a few of our older students would do well to remember that as well."**

**Dumbledore's twinkling eyes flashed in the direction of the Weasley twins.**

The twins, both sets of Marauders, and the Golden Trio started whisling not meeting anyone's eyes.

**"I have also been asked by Mr. Filch, the caretaker, to remind you all that no magic should be used between classes in the corridors.**

"Because we all listen to what he says," young Sirius said.

**"Quidditch trials will be held in the second week of the term. Anyone interested in playing for their house teams should contact Madam Hooch."**

**"And finally, I must tell you that this year, the third-floor corridor on the right-hand side is out of bounds to everyone who does not wish to die a very painful death."**

Older Remus and Sirius exchanged a look.

They both knew it was to much to hope for Harry to have one normal year at Hogwarts.

**Harry laughed, but he was one of the few who did.**

**"He's not serious?" he muttered to Percy.**

**"Must be," said Percy, frowning at Dumbledore. "It's odd, because he usually gives us a reason why we're not allowed to go somewhere - the forest's full of dangerous beasts, everyone knows that. I do think he might have told us prefects, at least."**

"Because the are so much better than everyone else," young James snorted.

**"And now, before we go to bed, let us sing the school song!" cried Dumbledore. Harry noticed that the other teachers' smiles had become rather fixed.**

**Dumbledore gave his wand a little flick, as if he was trying to get a fly off the end, and a long golden ribbon flew out of it, which rose high above the tables and twisted itself, snakelike, into words.**

**"Everyone pick their favorite tune," said Dumbledore, "and off we go!" And the school bellowed:**

Everyone, except the Slytherins, and Abeforth started singing.

**"Hogwarts, Hogwarts, Hoggy Warty Hogwarts,**

**Teach us something please,**

**Whether we be old and bald**

**Or young with scabby knees,**

**Our heads could do with filling**

**With some interesting stuff,**

**For now they're bare and full of air,**

**Dead flies and bits of fluff,**

**So teach us things worth knowing,**

**Bring back what we've forgot,**

**just do your best, we'll do the rest,**

**And learn until our brains all rot.**

**Everybody finished the song at different times. At last, only the Weasley twins were left singing along to a very slow funeral march.**

This time the twins were joined by both sets of Marauders.

** Dumbledore conducted their last few lines with his wand and when they had finished, he was one of those who clapped loudest.**

**"Ah, music," he said, wiping his eyes. "A magic beyond all we do here! And now, bedtime. Off you trot!"**

**The Gryffindor first years followed Percy through the chattering crowds, out of the Great Hall, and up the marble staircase. Harry's legs were like lead again,**

"I bet it's because of Blubberinghemptails. Their stings turns peoples legs into brick," Luna commented.

** but only because he was so tired and full of food. He was too sleepy even to be surprised that the people in the portraits along the corridors whispered and pointed as they passed, or that twice Percy led them through doorways hidden behind sliding panels and hanging tapestries. They climbed more staircases, yawning and dragging their feet, and Harry was just wondering how much farther they had to go when they came to a sudden halt.**

**A bundle of walking sticks was floating in midair ahead of them, and as Percy took a step toward them they started throwing themselves at him.**

**"Peeves," Percy whispered to the first years. "A poltergeist." He raised his voice, "Peeves - show yourself"**

**A loud, rude sound, like the air being let out of a balloon, answered.**

**"Do you want me to go to the Bloody Baron?"**

"Ruin all the fun will you," young Remus muttered.

**There was a pop, and a little man with wicked, dark eyes and a wide mouth appeared, floating cross- legged in the air, clutching the walking sticks.**

**"Oooooooh!" he said, with an evil cackle. "Ickle Firsties! What fun!"**

**He swooped suddenly at them. They all ducked.**

**"Go away, Peeves, or the Baron'll hear about this, I mean it!" barked Percy.**

**Peeves stuck out his tongue and vanished, dropping the walking sticks on Neville's head. They heard him zooming away, rattling coats of armor as he passed.**

**"You want to watch out for Peeves," said Percy, as they set off again. "The Bloody Baron's the only one who can control him, he won't even listen to us prefects.**

"Who does?" young James said.

** Here we are."**

**At the very end of the corridor hung a portrait of a very fat woman in a pink silk dress.**

**"Password?" she said. "Caput Draconis," said Percy, and the portrait swung forward to reveal a round hole in the wall. They all scrambled through it - Neville needed a leg up - and found themselves in the Gryffindor common room, a cozy, round room full of squashy armchairs.**

**Percy directed the girls through one door to their dormitory and the boys through another. At the top of a spiral staircase - they were obviously in one of the towers - they found their beds at last: five four-posters hung with deep red, velvet curtains. Their trunks had already been brought up. Too tired to talk much, they pulled on their pajamas and fell into bed.**

**" Great food, isn't it?" Ron muttered to Harry through the hangings. "Get off, Scabbers! He's chewing my sheets."**

"Peter does that!" young Sirius exclaimed.

"Well Peter's a-"

Harry clampped a hand over older Sirius's mouth.

**Harry was going to ask Ron if he'd had any of the treacle tart, but he fell asleep almost at once. Perhaps Harry had eaten a bit too much, because he had a very strange dream. He was wearing Professor Quirrell's turban, which kept talking to him, telling him he must transfer to Slytherin at once, because it was his destiny. Harry told the turban he didn't want to be in Slytherin; it got heavier and heavier; he tried to pull it off but it tightened painfully - and there was Malfoy, laughing at him as he struggled with it -then Malfoy turned into the hook-nosed teacher, Snape, whose laugh became high and cold - there was a burst of green light and Harry woke, sweating and shaking.**

Harry, Hermione, and Ron exchanged a look.

**He rolled over and fell asleep again, and when he woke next day, he didn't remember the dream at all.**

"That's it," young Lily said.

_AN: I'm so sorry for the long wait! I've been so busy with school and celebrating for the holidays. I haven't had much time to write. I'll try to update my stories more often from now on. Thanks so much for all the reviews, favorites, followers, and reading this story. It means a lot to me. _

_~ Pottergirl3333_


	9. The Potions Master

_AN: It's been awhile since I've said this, but unless you were crazy or something you should know I don't own Harry Potter._

"Who's going to read?" young Lily asked.

"I will," Susan replied.

Young Lily handed her the book and Susan began to read.

**THE POTIONS MASTER**

"Why does he get a whole chapter to himself?" older Sirius asked in disgust.

"I don't know I didn't write it," Harry shrugged.

**"There, look."**

"Look at what?" Seamus asked confused.

"It's in the book," Susan said.

Seamus blushed as his friends laughed.

**"Where?"**

**"Next to the tall kid with the red hair."**

"Wonder who they're talking about," Gred said.

"No idea Gred," Feorge answered.

**"Wearing the glasses?"**

**"Did you see his face?"**

**"Did you see his scar?"**

"Hasn't everybody," Harry muttered.

Hermione squeezed his shoulder.

Harry smiled at her.

**Whispers followed Harry from the moment he left his dormitory the next day. People lining up outside classrooms stood on tiptoe to get a look at him,**

"Rude," older Lily whispered ratherly loudly.

** or doubled back to pass him in the corridors again, staring.**

"And I thought we were popular," older James whispered so only the people around him could hear.

"It gets worst," Harry groaned.

** Harry wished they wouldn't, because he was trying to concentrate on finding his way to classes.**

**There were a hundred and forty-two staircases at Hogwarts: wide, sweeping ones; narrow, rickety ones; some that led somewhere different on a Friday; some with a vanishing step halfway up that you had to remember to jump. Then there were doors that wouldn't open unless you asked politely, or tickled them in exactly the right place, and doors that weren't really doors at all, but solid walls just pretending. It was also very hard to remember where anything was, because it all seemed to move around a lot. The people in the portraits kept going to visit each other, and Harry was sure the coats of armor could walk.**

"They can," young James commented cheerfully.

**The ghosts didn't help, either. It was always a nasty shock when one of them glided suddenly through a door you were trying to open. Nearly Headless Nick was always happy to point new Gryffindors in the right direction, but Peeves the Poltergeist was worth two locked doors and a trick staircase if you met him when you were late for class. He would drop wastepaper baskets on your head, pull rugs from under your feet, pelt you with bits of chalk, or sneak up behind you, invisible, grab your nose, and screech, "GOT YOUR CONK!"**

"Probably shouldn't have taught him that," older Sirius mused.

"It was funny," older James shrugged.

Older Lily hit them upside the head.

**Even worse than Peeves, if that was possible, was the caretaker, Argus Filch. Harry and Ron managed to get on the wrong side of him on their very first morning.**

"Good job! It took us til the first afternoon!" older James said impressed, pointing at himself and Sirius.

Older Lily gave him a look.

"I mean, you should feel terrible for whatever you did," older James said, but winked when his wife wasn't looking.

** Filch found them trying to force their way through a door that unluckily turned out to be the entrance to the out-of-bounds corridor on the third floor.**

"Of course you were," older Sirius sighed.

"First off it was an acceint, second you would have tried," Harry pointed out.

"So, I'm not the one that has a madman trying to murder me," older Sirius replied.

"That's a comforting thing to tell somebody," older James said as calmly as he could.

"You get used to it," Harry shrugged.

Older Lily and James looked very worried now.

** He wouldn't believe they were lost, was sure they were trying to break into it on purpose, and was threatening to lock them in the dungeons when they were rescued by Professor Quirrell, who was passing.**

The Golden Trio shared another look.

**Filch owned a cat called Mrs. Norris, a scrawny, dust-colored creature with bulging, lamp like eyes just like Filch's. She patrolled the corridors alone. Break a rule in front of her, put just one toe out of line, and she'd whisk off for Filch, who'd appear, wheezing, two seconds later. Filch knew the secret passageways of the school better than anyone**

"OI!" both sets of Marauders and the twins cried.

** (except perhaps the Weasley twins)**

"That's better," the twins said.

"No it's not!" young Remus yelled.

"I didn't know about the Marauders then," Harry explained.

** and could pop up as suddenly as any of the ghosts. The students all hated him, and it was the dearest ambition of many to give Mrs. Norris a good kick.**

"You should have," young Sirius said.

"It's Marauder tradition," young James agreed.

**And then, once you had managed to find them, there were the classes themselves. There was a lot more to magic, as Harry quickly found out, than waving your wand and saying a few funny words.**

"What made you think it was that easy?" older James asked.

Harry pointed at himself and said, "Raised by muggles."

**They had to study the night skies through their telescopes every Wednesday at midnight and learn the names of different stars and the movements of the planets. Three times a week they went out to the greenhouses behind the castle to study Herbology, with a dumpy little witch called Professor Sprout, where they learned how to take care of all the strange plants and fungi, and found out what they were used for.**

"I love that class," Alice commented.

Neville looked thrilled.

**Easily the most boring class was History of Magic, which was the only one taught by a ghost. Professor Binns had been very old indeed when he had fallen asleep in front of the staff room fire and got up next morning to teach, leaving his body behind him. Binns droned on and on while they scribbled down names and dates, and got Emetic the Evil and Uric the Oddball mixed up.**

"It's Otis the Oddball," Hermione corrected.

**Professor Flitwick, the Charms teacher, was a tiny little wizard who had to stand on a pile of books to see over his desk. At the start of their first class he took the roll call, and when he reached Harry's name he gave an excited squeak and toppled out of sight.**

A few people chuckled.

Young Severus and Regulus rolled their eyes.

**Professor McGonagall was again different. Harry had been quite right to think she wasn't a teacher to cross. Strict and clever, she gave them a talking-to the moment they sat down in her first class.**

**"Transfiguration is some of the most complex and dangerous magic you will learn at Hogwarts," she said. "Anyone messing around in my class will leave and not come back. You have been warned."**

"Why did you keep letting us back in?" older James asked pointing at himslef and his friends.

"The three of you were some of my best students. I couldn't just kick you out" McGonagall explained.

**Then she changed her desk into a pig and back again. They were all very impressed and couldn't wait to get started, but soon realized they weren't going to be changing the furniture into animals for a long time. After taking a lot of complicated notes, they were each given a match and started trying to turn it into a needle. By the end of the lesson, only Hermione Granger had made any difference to her match;**

"So that's not your best class," older James stated.

"Sorry," Harry muttered.

"There is nothing wrong with it. You're your o person. I love you no matter what," older James said.

Harry smiled and nodded.

** Professor McGonagall showed the class how it had gone all silver and pointy and gave Hermione a rare smile.**

**The class everyone had really been looking forward to was Defense Against the Dark Arts, but Quirrell's lessons turned out to be a bit of a joke.**

The few people that knew Quirrell's secret shivered.

** His classroom smelled strongly of garlic,**

"I think I know what that smell was now," Harry said looking green.

** which everyone said was to ward off a vampire he'd met in Romania and was afraid would be coming back to get him one of these days. His turban, he told them, had been given to him by an African prince as a thank-you for getting rid of a troublesome zombie,**

Harry remembering how close he was to be killed by what was under that turban shuddered

** but they weren't sure they believed this story. For one thing, when Seamus Finnigan asked eagerly to hear how Quirrell had fought off the zombie, Quirrell went pink and started talking about the weather; for another, they had noticed that a funny smell hung around the turban,**

Hermione rushed out of the room so you could throw-up.

"Is she alright?" young Lily asked.

"Yeah, it's just knowing what we know you'd be sick too," Ron explained pointing at his closest friends.

** and the Weasley twins insisted that it was stuffed full of garlic as well, so that Quirrell was protected wherever he went.**

Hermione reentered the room.

**Harry was very relieved to find out that he wasn't miles behind everyone else. Lots of people had come from Muggle families and, like him, hadn't had any idea that they were witches and wizards. There was so much to learn that even people like Ron didn't have much of a head start.**

"Hermione had more of a headstart than Ron," Dean snorted.

Ron glared at him, while everyone else laughed.

**Friday was an important day for Harry and Ron. They finally managed to find their way down to the Great Hall for breakfast without getting lost once.**

"It took you til Friday," older Sirius gasped.

Older Lily and James glared at him.

"I mean good job," older Sirius stuttered.

Harry grinned.

**"What have we got today?" Harry asked Ron as he poured sugar on his porridge.**

**"Double Potions with the Slytherins," said Ron. "Snape's Head of Slytherin House.**

Groans from the peanut gallary.

** They say he always favors them**

"And he'll really hate you," older James moaned.

"He's not that bad," Harry said.

Just about everyone looked at him like he lost his mind.

** - we'll be able to see if it's true."**

"It is," just about everyone said.

Older Lily sighed, she ated what her old frined had become.

Older James wrapped an arm around her.

Harry hugged her.

**"Wish McGonagall favored us, "**

"Not gonna happen," young Remus chortled.

** said Harry. Professor McGonagall was head of Gryffindor House, but it hadn't stopped her from giving them a huge pile of homework the day before.**

**Just then, the mail arrived. Harry had gotten used to this by now, but it had given him a bit of a shock on the first morning, when about a hundred owls had suddenly streamed into the Great Hall during breakfast,**

Older James punched the table in front of him and walked out of the hall.

Everyone stared at him in shock. Then at older Lily for an answer.

She sighed beofre explaining. "James grew up in this world. It's harder for him than it is me to hear that Harry grow up away from it."

Harry moved from his friends to beside his mother. When his father walked back in the room he hugged Harry close to him.

** circling the tables until they saw their owners, and dropping letters and packages onto their laps.**

**Hedwig hadn't brought Harry anything so far. She sometimes flew in to nibble his ear and have a bit of toast before going off to sleep in the owlery with the other school owls.**

"Nice owl," young Lily said.

"The best," Harry choked, holding back tears. He really missed his companion.

** This morning, however, she fluttered down between the marmalade and the sugar bowl and dropped a note onto Harry's plate. Harry tore it open at once. It said, in a very untidy scrawl:**

**_Dear Harry,_**

******_I know you get Friday afternoons off, so would you like to come and have a cup of tea with me around three?_**

******_I want to hear all about your first week. Send us an answer back with Hedwig._**

******_Hagrid_**

"That was sweet of you," Mrs. Weasley said.

"It was nothin," Hagrid replied.

**Harry borrowed Ron's quill, scribbled Yes, please, see you later on the back of the note, and sent Hedwig off again.**

"How polite," Padma commented.

**It was lucky that Harry had tea with Hagrid to look forward to, because the Potions lesson turned out to be the worst thing that had happened to him so far.**

"With Snape teaching how could it not," older Sirius muttered.

**At the start-of-term banquet, Harry had gotten the idea that Professor Snape disliked him. By the end of the first Potions lesson, he knew he'd been wrong. Snape didn't dislike Harry**

"What!?" everyone cried.

"I'm not finished," Susan said.

** - he hated him.**

"Oh," everyone said.

**Potions lessons took place down in one of the dungeons. It was colder here than up in the main castle, and would have been quite creepy enough without the pickled animals floating in glass jars all around the walls.**

**Snape, like Flitwick, started the class by taking the roll call, and like Flitwick, he paused at Harry's name.**

"Of course he did," older Lily sighed.

**"Ah, Yes," he said softly, "Harry Potter. Our new - celebrity."**

"Jerk," young Sirius said.

"Smelly jerk," young James said.

"Ugly smelly jerk," young Remus finished.

Almost everyone laughed.

**Draco Malfoy and his friends Crabbe and Goyle sniggered behind their hands.**

"Idiots," young Sirius said.

"Mean idiots," young James added.

"Stinky mean idiots," young Remus said calmly.

** Snape finished calling the names and looked up at the class. His eyes were black like Hagrid's, but they had none of Hagrid's warmth. They were cold and empty and made you think of dark tunnels.**

"Do they look like that now?" young Sirius asked.

Young James shrugged, before hitting young Snape on the head.

"His eyes do look like that," young James answered, his brother.

Snape growled before punching young James in the nose.

Young Sirius hit Snape in the gut.

McGonagall got up to stop the fight.

She had to freeze the three boys and Regulus and young Remus as well.

Susan kept reading.

**"You are here to learn the subtle science and exact art of potionmaking," he began. He spoke in barely more than a whisper, but they caught every word - like Professor McGonagall, Snape had y caught every word - like Professor McGonagall, Snape had the gift of keeping a class silent without effort. "As there is little foolish wand-waving here, many of you will hardly believe this is magic. I don't expect you will really understand the beauty of the softly simmering cauldron with its shimmering fumes, the delicate power of liquids that creep through human veins, bewitching the mind, ensnaring the senses... I can teach you how to bottle fame, brew glory, even stopper death**

"That's not a bad speech," older Lily commented.

** - if you aren't as big a bunch of dunderheads as I usually have to teach."**

"And he ruined it," older Lily said.

**More silence followed this little speech. Harry and Ron exchanged looks with raised eyebrows. Hermione Granger was on the edge of her seat and looked desperate to start proving that she wasn't a dunderhead.**

A few people sniggered.

**"Potter!" said Snape suddenly. "What would I get if I added powdered root of asphodel to an infusion of wormwood?"**

"That's not a first year question!" older James snarled.

**Powdered root of what to an infusion of what? Harry glanced at Ron, who looked as stumped as he was;**

"Because you don't even learn that until third year," Mrs. Weasley huffed.

** Hermione's hand had shot into the air.**

A few people looked at Hermione in surprise.

"I said a got a few extra books," Hermione blushed.

"With Hermione that's not surprising," Lavender said.

**"I don't know, sir," said Harry.**

**Snape's lips curled into a sneer.**

Older Sirius growled.

**"Tut, tut - fame clearly isn't everything."**

"Lat off of him!" older Lily snapped.

Older Snape winced, if he knew that Lily would ever know how he treated her son, he would have been a lot nicer.

**He ignored Hermione's hand.**

"Of course he did," older Remus muttered.

**"Let's try again. Potter, where would you look if I told you to find me a bezoar?"**

"They don't learn that until the end of first year," Alice cried.

**Hermione stretched her hand as high into the air as it would go without her leaving her seat, but Harry didn't have the faintest idea what a bezoar was. He tried not to look at Malfoy, Crabbe, and Goyle, who were shaking with laughter.**

"Gits," Fred said.

**"I don't know, sir." "Thought you wouldn't open a book before coming, eh, Potter?"**

"Of course he did! How is he suppose to remember every little thing!?" Bill yelled. Harry was like a little brother to him. No one had the right to treat him like that.

** Harry forced himself to keep looking straight into those cold eyes. He had looked through his books at the Dursleys', but did Snape expect him to remember everything in One Thousand Magical Herbs and Fungi?**

**Snape was still ignoring Hermione's quivering hand.**

**"What is the difference, Potter, between monkshood and wolfsbane?"**

"That's a trick question!" Mr. Weasley said, ears getting red.

**At this, Hermione stood up, her hand stretching toward the dungeon ceiling.**

**"I don't know," said Harry quietly. "I think Hermione does, though, why don't you try her?"**

Most of the people in the room laughed.

"That's your mother in you for sure," older James said.

Harry beamed.

**A few people laughed; Harry caught Seamus's eye, and Seamus winked. Snape, however, was not pleased.**

Older James sighed, he really regretted how he acted when he was younger. It wasn't fair for Snape to take it out on Harry.

**"Sit down," he snapped at Hermione. "For your information, Potter, asphodel and wormwood make a sleeping potion so powerful it is known as the Draught of Living Death. A bezoar is a stone taken from the stomach of a goat and it will save you from most poisons. As for monkshood and wolfsbane, they are the same plant, which also goes by the name of aconite. Well? Why aren't you all copying that down?"**

"Because you didn't tell them to," older Remus snapped. He was very fond of most of his ex-students.

**There was a sudden rummaging for quills and parchment. Over the noise, Snape said, "And a point will be taken from Gryffindor House for your cheek, Potter."**

Older Lily growled.

"He was just defending himself!" Frank argued.

**Things didn't improve for the Gryffindors as the Potions lesson continued. Snape put them all into pairs and set them to mixing up a simple potion to cure boils.**

"Do you even explain it?" McGonagall asked.

She never got an answer.

** He swept around in his long black cloak, watching them weigh dried nettles and crush snake fangs, criticizing almost everyone except Malfoy, whom he seemed to like.**

"That's because him and Lucius are old friends," older Sirius said in disgust.

** He was just telling everyone to look at the perfect way Malfoy had stewed his horned slugs when clouds of acid green smoke and a loud hissing filled the dungeon.**

"What is?" young Lily asked.

** Neville had somehow managed to melt Seamus's cauldron into a twisted blob, and their potion was seeping across the stone floor, burning holes in people's shoes.**

"Ouch," young Sirius muttered.

** Within seconds, the whole class was standing on their stools while Neville, who had been drenched in the potion when the cauldron collapsed, moaned in pain as angry red boils sprang up all over his arms and legs.**

"Are you okay?" Alice asked her son.

"Fine," Neville nodded.

**"Idiot boy!" snarled Snape,**

"How dare you!" Frank shoued standing up.

Alice pulled him back done.

**clearing the spilled potion away with one wave of his wand. "I suppose you added the porcupine quills before taking the cauldron off the fire?"**

**Neville whimpered as boils started to pop up all over his nose.**

"Send him to the hospital wing!" young Lily cried.

**"Take him up to the hospital wing," Snape spat at Seamus.**

"Good," young Lily sighed.

**Then he rounded on Harry and Ron, who had been working next to Neville.**

"Not good," young Remus said.

**"You - Potter - why didn't you tell him not to add the quills?**

"He wasn't paying attention to what Neville was doing! He had his own potion!" older Srius shouted.

** Thought he'd make you look good if he got it wrong, did you?**

"Harry wouldn't want that!" Charlie cried.

** That's another point you've lost for Gryffindor."**

That was to much for older Lily. She rounded on her old friend.

"WHAT IS YOUR PROBLEM?! HARRY ISN'T JAMES! WHY DON'T YOU JUST GROW UP! JAMES DID AND TREATING HIS SON TERRIBLY DOESN'T MAKE YOU ANY BETTER THAN HE USED TO BE!"

Snape was as white as a snowflake. He was nodding really fast.

**This was so unfair that Harry opened his mouth to argue,**

"Just like his parents," older Remus muttered fondly.

** but Ron kicked him behind their cauldron.**

"Good idea," older Sirius said.

**"Don't push it," he muttered, "I've heard Snape can turn very nasty."**

"He can," the D.A chroused.

**As they climbed the steps out of the dungeon an hour later, Harry's mind was racing and his spirits were low. He'd lost two points for Gryffindor in his very first week - why did Snape hate him so much?**

"Only two," young Sirius snorted.

"We lost twenty on the first day," young James added.

"Each," young Remus reminded them.

**"Cheer up," said Ron, "Snape's always taking points off Fred and George. Can I come and meet Hagrid with you?"**

**At five to three they left the castle and made their way across the grounds. Hagrid lived in a small wooden house on the edge of the forbidden forest. A crossbow and a pair of galoshes were outside the front door.**

**When Harry knocked they heard a frantic scrabbling from inside and several booming barks. Then Hagrid's voice rang out, saying, "Back, Fang - back."**

**Hagrid's big, hairy face appeared in the crack as he pulled the door open.**

**"Hang on," he said. "Back, Fang."**

**He let them in, struggling to keep a hold on the collar of an enormous black boarhound.**

**There was only one room inside. Hams and pheasants were hanging from the ceiling, a copper kettle was boiling on the open fire, and in the corner stood a massive bed with a patchwork quilt over it.**

**"Make yerselves at home," said Hagrid, letting go of Fang, who bounded straight at Ron and started licking his ears.**

"I missed that this year," Ron muttered.

Hermione and Harry nodded beside him.

** Like Hagrid, Fang was clearly not as fierce as he looked.**

**"This is Ron," Harry told Hagrid, who was pouring boiling water into a large teapot and putting rock cakes onto a plate.**

**"Another Weasley, eh?" said Hagrid, glancing at Ron's freckles. "I spent half me life chasin' yer twin brothers away from the forest."**

"And the other half chasing us aw from the forest," young Sirius said proudly.

The younng Marauders started crackling.

The older ones looked at how innocent the used to be. They missed it, but they wouldn't trade Lily, Harry, Tonks, or Teddy for the world.

**The rock cakes were shapeless lumps with raisins that almost broke their teeth, but Harry and Ron pretended to be enjoying them as they told Hagrid all about their first -lessons.**

Hagrid blushed.

"How kind" Mrs. Weasley cooed.

All the Weasley children rolled their eyes having heardthis speech a time or two.

**Fang rested his head on Harry's knee and drooled all over his robes.**

"I've missed that this year," Harry muttered.

"We all have," Hermione whispered.

**Harry and Ron were delighted to hear Hagrid call Fitch "that old git."**

"Nobody likes him," young Sirius stated.

**"An' as fer that cat, Mrs. Norris, I'd like ter introduce her to Fang sometime. D'yeh know, every time I go up ter the school, she follows me everywhere? Can't get rid of her - Fitch puts her up to it."**

**Harry told Hagrid about Snape's lesson. Hagrid, like Ron, told Harry not to worry about it, that Snape liked hardly any of the students.**

**"But he seemed to really hate me."**

**"Rubbish!" said Hagrid. "Why should he?"**

**Yet Harry couldn't help thinking that Hagrid didn't quite meet his eyes when he said that.**

"Because he does hate you more than the others. I'm sorry Harry," older James moaned

**"How's yer brother Charlie?" Hagrid asked Ron. "I liked him a lot - great with animals."**

**Harry wondered if Hagrid had changed the subject on purpose.**

"Smart kid," Moody muttered.

Aberforth grunted.

** While Ron told Hagrid all about Charlie's work with dragons, Harry picked up a piece of paper that was lying on the table under the tea cozy. It was a cutting from the Daily Prophet:**

**_GRINGOTTS BREAK-IN LATEST_**

Everyone that knew Harry well groaned.

Our favortie trio was smirking

**_Investigations continue into the break-in at Gringotts on 31 July, widely believed to be the work of Dark wizards or witches unknown._**

******_Gringotts goblins today insisted that nothing had been taken. The vault that was searched had in fact been emptied the same day._**

******_"But we're not telling you what was in there, so keep your noses out if you know what's good for you," said a Gringotts spokesgoblin this afternoon._**

**Harry remembered Ron telling him on the train that someone had tried to rob Gringotts, but Ron hadn't mentioned the date.**

**"Hagrid!" said Harry, "that Gringotts break-in happened on my birthday! It might've been happening while we were there!"**

"Good job," Moody approved.

Most everyone groaned, knowing where this was going.

**There was no doubt about it, Hagrid definitely didn't meet Harry's eyes this time. He grunted and offered him another rock cake. Harry read the story again. The vault that was searched had in fact been emptied earlier that same day. Hagrid had emptied vault seven hundred and thirteen, if you could call it emptying, taking out that grubby little package. Had that been what the thieves were looking for?**

"You put all that together with barely any information?" Alice asked.

Harry nodded.

"Wow," Alice muttered, making a few people laugh.

"That's Harry for you," Seamus laughed.

**As Harry and Ron walked back to the castle for dinner, their pockets weighed down with rock cakes they'd been too polite to refuse, Harry thought that none of the lessons he'd had so far had given him as much to think about as tea with Hagrid. Had Hagrid collected that package just in time? Where was it now? And did Hagrid know something about Snape that he didn't want to tell Harry?**

"That's the end of the chapter," Susan told the room.

_AN: Thanks so much for all the wonderful support! I also should be updating my Marauder era story Long Live soon. So go check that out and please tell me what you think. _

_~ Pottergirl3333_


	10. The Midnight Duel

_AN: I want to dedicate this chapter to IceLumos963. IceLumos963 reviews every chapter and is great to talk to. _

_Disclaimer: Last time I checked I wasn't rich. _

"I want to read," Lavender said.

Susan passed her the book.

**THE MIDNIGHT DUEL**

**Harry had never believed he would meet a boy he hated more than Dudley, but that was before he met Draco Malfoy.**

**Still, first-year Gryffindors only had Potions with the Slytherins, so they didn't have to put up with Malfoy much. Or at least, they didn't until they spotted a notice pinned up in the Gryffindor common room that made them all groan. Flying lessons would be starting on Thursday**

"Why would that make anyone groan?" young James demanded.

"You'll see," Harry told him.

** - and Gryffindor and Slytherin would be learning together.**

"Why would anyone put them together?" older Lily asked.

**"Typical," said Harry darkly. "Just what I always wanted. To make a fool of myself on a broomstick in front of Malfoy."**

"You won't make a fool of yourself," older James said.

"Dad, I told you, I hate Quidditch, and i look like a fool on a broom," Harry lied.

Almost everyone was hiding a smile.

**He had been looking forward to learning to fly more than anything else.**

"I thought you said you were bad at it," older James said.

"I am, I was excited until I saw how boring it was," Harry replied.

"And how bad he was," Ron laughed.

Older James thought Ron was teasing Harry when really Ron was tricking him.

**"You don't know that you'll make a fool of yourself," said Ron reasonably. "Anyway, I know Malfoy's always going on about how good he is at Quidditch, but I bet that's all talk."**

**Malfay certainly did talk about flying a lot. He complained loudly about first years never getting on the house Quidditch teams**

Everyone that knew about a certain green eyed boy breaking that rule smiled.

** and told long, boastful stories that always seemed to end with him narrowly escaping Muggles in helicopters.**

"I bet he doesn't even know what those look like," Justin sneered.

** He wasn't the only one, though: the way Seamus Finnigan told it, he'd spent most of his childhood zooming around the countryside on his broomstick.**

"Most kids love Quidditch," older Sirius said.

** Even Ron would tell anyone who'd listen about the time he'd almost hit a hang glider on Charlie's old broom.**

"Ron!"

Ron smiled sheepishly at his mother.

** Everyone from wizarding families talked about Quidditch constantly. Ron had already had a big argument with Dean Thomas, who shared their dormitory, about soccer. Ron couldn't see what was exciting about a game with only one ball where no one was allowed to fly. Harry had caught Ron prodding Dean's poster of West Ham soccer team, trying to make the players move.**

Everyone laughed as Ron's ears went red.

**Neville had never been on a broomstick in his life, because his grandmother had never let him near one. **

"Why not?" Frank asked.

**Privately, Harry felt she'd had good reason,**

Alice and Frank glared at Harry, but Neville laughed.

** because Neville managed to have an extraordinary number of accidents even with both feet on the ground.**

Many people laughed, including Neville.

**Hermione Granger was almost as nervous about flying as Neville was. This was something you couldn't learn by heart out of a book - not that she hadn't tried.**

"Of course," young James said.

"What else do you expect from a bookworm," young Sirius continued.

"Moony did the same thing," young James added.

** At breakfast on Thursday she bored them all stupid with flying tips she'd gotten out of a library book called Quidditch Through the Ages.**

"I love that book," older James commented.

All the Quidditch fanatics agreed.

** Neville was hanging on to her every word, desperate for anything that might help him hang on to his broomstick later,**

"Nervous?" Frank teased.

Neville grinned.

** but everybody else was very pleased when Hermione's lecture was interrupted by the arrival of the mail.**

Hermione went very red.

**Harry hadn't had a single letter since Hagrid's note, something that Malfoy had been quick to notice, of course. **

"Git," older James muttered.

Older Sirius growled.

**Malfoy's eagle owl was always bringing him packages of sweets from home, which he opened gloatingly at the Slytherin table.**

"It's the only way they know how," young Sirius snarled. He was looking at his younger brother.

**A barn owl brought Neville a small package from his grandmother. He opened it excitedly and showed them a glass ball the size of a large marble, which seemed to be full of white smoke.**

"A Remembrall!" young Lily cried.

**"It's a Remembrall!" he explained. "Gran knows I forget things - this tells you if there's something you've forgotten to do. Look, you hold it tight like this and if it turns red - oh..." His face fell, because the Remembrall had suddenly glowed scarlet,**

**"You've forgotten something..."**

Everyone chuckled.

**Neville was trying to remember what he'd forgotten when Draco Malfoy, who was passing the Gryffindor table, snatched the Remembrall out of his hand.**

There was many growls at this.

**Harry and Ron jumped to their feet.**

"That a boy Harry. Always stand up for your friends," older James complemented.

Harry blushed.

"Don't you dare fight him!" older Lily commanded.

** They were half hoping for a reason to fight Malfay,**

Older Lily sighed.

** but Professor McGonagall, who could spot trouble quicker than any teacher in the school, was there in a flash.**

"Good," older Lily muttered.

**"What's going on?"**

**"Malfoy's got my Remembrall, Professor."**

**Scowling, Malfoy quickly dropped the Remembrall back on the table.**

**"Just looking," he said, and he sloped away with Crabbe and Goyle behind him.**

**At three-thirty that afternoon, Harry, Ron, and the other Gryffindors hurried down the front steps onto the grounds for their first flying lesson.**

"WOO!" young James shouted.

** It was a clear, breezy day, and the grass rippled under their feet as they marched down the sloping lawns toward a smooth, flat lawn on the opposite side of the grounds to the forbidden forest, whose trees were swaying darkly in the distance.**

**The Slytherins were already there, and so were twenty broomsticks lying in neat lines on the ground. Harry had heard Fred and George Weasley complain about the school brooms, saying that some of them started to vibrate if you flew too high, or always flew slightly to the left.**

**Their teacher, Madam Hooch, arrived. She had short, gray hair, and yellow eyes like a hawk.**

**"Well, what are you all waiting for?" she barked. "Everyone stand by a broomstick. Come on, hurry up."**

**Harry glanced down at his broom. It was old and some of the twigs stuck out at odd angles.**

"Is that safe?" Mrs. Weasley fretted.

**"Stick out your right hand over your broom," called Madam Hooch at the front, "and say 'Up!"'**

**"UP" everyone shouted.**

**Harry's broom jumped into his hand at once,**

"I thought you said you were terrible," older James said, his eyebrows knitting together.

** but it was one of the few that did. Hermione Granger's had simply rolled over on the ground, and Neville's hadn't moved at all. Perhaps brooms, like horses, could tell when you were afraid, thought Harry; there was a quaver in Neville's voice that said only too clearly that he wanted to keep his feet on the ground.**

"And he was too right," Neville said.

**Madam Hooch then showed them how to mount their brooms without sliding off the end, and walked up and down the rows correcting their grips. Harry and Ron were delighted when she told Malfoy he'd been doing it wrong for years.**

A few people snickered.

**"Now, when I blow my whistle, you kick off from the ground, hard," said Madam Hooch. "Keep your brooms steady, rise a few feet, and then come straight back down by leaning forward slightly. On my whistle - three - two -"**

**But Neville, nervous and jumpy and frightened of being left on the ground, pushed off hard before the whistle had touched Madam Hooch's lips.**

**"Come back, boy!" she shouted, but Neville was rising straight up like a cork shot out of a bottle - twelve feet - twenty feet. Harry saw his scared white face look down at the ground falling away, saw him gasp, slip sideways off the broom**

Older Lily gasped.

"Are you okay?" Alice asked.

Frank went pale.

** and -**

**WHAM - a thud and a nasty crack and Neville lay facedown on the grass in a heap.**

Alice jumped up and started looking at her son asking if he was okay.

"I'm fine," Neville blushed, but he looked pleased.

** His broomstick was still rising higher and higher, and started to drift lazily toward the forbidden forest and out of sight.**

**Madam Hooch was bending over Neville, her face as white as his.**

**"Broken wrist," Harry heard her mutter. "Come on, boy - it's all right, up you get.".**

**She turned to the rest of the class.**

**"None of you is to move while I take this boy to the hospital wing! You leave those brooms where they are or you'll be out of Hogwarts before you can say 'Quidditch.' Come on, dear."**

"You can't leave a bunch of first years alone together," Mrs. Weasley cried.

"Especially Gryffindor and Slytherin," older Remus said.

**Neville, his face tear-streaked, clutching his wrist, hobbled off with Madam Hooch, who had her arm around him.**

**No sooner were they out of earshot than Malfoy burst into laughter.**

Everyone growled.

**"Did you see his face, the great lump?"**

"Neville's a thousand times better than you!" Dean shouted.

"Don't you dare say anything against Neville!" Luna snapped.

"Neville's a great person!" Seamus yelled.

"Thanks guys," Neville muttered

**The other Slytherins joined in.**

"I bet they didn't even understand what they were laughing at," Ginny snarled.

**"Shut up, Malfoy," snapped Parvati Patil.**

Neville smiled at Parvati in thanks.

**"Ooh, sticking up for Longbottom?" said Pansy Parkinson, a hard-faced Slytherin girl. "Never thought you'd like fat little crybabies, Parvati."**

"Neville is not a crybaby!" Harry cried.

**"Look!" said Malfoy, darting forward and snatching something out of the grass. "It's that stupid thing Longbottom's gran sent him."**

"Don't you dare touch it!" Frank snapped.

"It's not even yours!" Aice screamed.

**The Remembrall glittered in the sun as he held it up.**

**"Give that here, Malfoy," said Harry quietly.**

"Way to go Harry," older James said.

"Always stand by your friends," older Sirius agreed.

** Everyone stopped talking to watch.**

**Malfoy smiled nastily.**

**"I think I'll leave it somewhere for Longbottom to find - how about - up a tree?"**

Frank started muttering very fast threats under in his breath.

**"Give it here!" Harry yelled, but Malfoy had leapt onto his broomstick and taken off.**

"Oh no, you're not a good flier, and I know you went after him," older Lily moaned.

Older James looked worried as well, but everyone that knew Harry smiled.

** He hadn't been lying, he could fly well.**

Older James groaned, "That just makes it worst."

** Hovering level with the topmost branches of an oak he called, "Come and get it, Potter!"**

The older version of Harry's parents groaned.

**Harry grabbed his broom.**

"No," older Lily muttered.

**"No!" shouted Hermione Granger.**

"Listen to her!" older James shouted.

** "Madam Hooch told us not to move - you'll get us all into trouble."**

**Harry ignored her.**

"Of course you did," older Lily sighed.

** Blood was pounding in his ears. He mounted the broom and kicked hard against the ground and up, up he soared; air rushed through his hair, and his robes whipped out behind him -and in a rush of fierce joy he realized he'd found something he could do without being taught - this was easy, this was wonderful.**

"I thought-but you said," older James stuttered pointing at a laughing Harry.

"I lied," Harry shrugged.

Older James hugged him.

** He pulled his broomstick up a little to take it even higher, and heard screams and gasps of girls back on the ground and an admiring whoop from Ron.**

The younf Marauders were cheering book Harry on.

**He turned his broomstick sharply to face Malfoy in midair. Malfoy looked stunned.**

"He wasn't the only one," McGonagall whispered to Dumbledore.

Dumbledore chuckled.

**"Give it here," Harry called, "or I'll knock you off that broom!"**

More cheers.

** "Oh, yeah?" said Malfoy, trying to sneer, but looking worried.**

"He should be," older James smirked.

**Harry knew, somehow, what to do. He leaned forward and grasped the broom tightly in both hands, and it shot toward Malfay like a javelin. Malfoy only just got out of the way in time; Harry made a sharp about-face and held the broom steady. A few people below were clapping.**

**"No Crabbe and Goyle up here to save your neck, Malfoy," Harry called.**

"You tell him Harry," older Sirius encouraged.

**The same thought seemed to have struck Malfoy.**

**"Catch it if you can, then!" he shouted, and he threw the glass ball high into the air and streaked back toward the ground.**

Older James eyes widened, "No, Don't do it."

Even the people that knew Harry was a good flier looked worried.

**Harry saw, as though in slow motion, the ball rise up in the air and then start to fall. He leaned forward and pointed his broom handle down**

"No, no, no, no, no," older Lily muttered very pale.

** - next second he was gathering speed in a steep dive, racing the ball - wind whistled in his ears, mingled with the screams of people watching - he stretched out his hand - a foot from the ground he caught it,**

** just in time to pull his broom straight, and he toppled gently onto the grass with the Remembrall clutched safely in his fist.**

"YES!" older James shouted jumping out of his seat.

"I LOVE MY SON!" young James yelled, running over to hug Harry.

Everyone smiled.

**"HARRY POTTER!"**

"NO!" older James shouted.

"IT WAS ALL MALFOY'S FAULT!" older Sirius yelled.

"DON'T SEND HIM BACK TO THE DURSLEYS!" older James continued.

**His heart sank faster than he'd just dived. Professor McGonagall was running toward them. He got to his feet, trembling.**

**"Never - in all my time at Hogwarts -"**

"Even she's speechless," young Sirius said gleefully.

**Professor McGonagall was almost speechless with shock, and her glasses flashed furiously, "- how dare you - might have broken your neck -"**

"Exactly," Mrs. Weasley sighed.

**"It wasn't his fault, Professor -"**

**"Be quiet, Miss Patil**

**"But Malfoy -"**

**"That's enough, Mr. Weasley. Potter, follow me, now."**

**Harry caught sight of Malfoy, Crabbe, and Goyle's triumphant faces as he left, walking numbly in Professor McGonagall's wake as she strode toward the castle. He was going to be expelled, he just knew it. He wanted to say something to defend himself, but there seemed to be something wrong with his voice. Professor McGonagall was sweeping along without even looking at him; he had to jog to keep up. Now he'd done it. He hadn't even lasted two weeks. He'd be packing his bags in ten minutes. What would the Dursleys say when he turned up on the doorstep?**

**Up the front steps, up the marble staircase inside, and still Professor McGonagall didn't say a word to him. She wrenched open doors and marched along corridors with Harry trotting miserably behind her. Maybe she was taking him to Dumbledore. He thought of Hagrid, expelled but allowed to stay on as gamekeeper. Perhaps he could be Hagrid's assistant. His stomach twisted as he imagined it, watching Ron and the others becoming wizards, while he stumped around the grounds carrying Hagrid's bag.**

"You have a very interesting imagination Harry," young Remus said.

"Try living my life and you'll understand," Harry replied.

Quite a few people looked at Harry worriedly.

**Professor McGonagall stopped outside a classroom. She opened the door and poked her head inside.**

**"Excuse me, Professor Flitwick, could I borrow Wood for a moment?"**

**Wood? thought Harry, bewildered; was Wood a cane she was going to use on him?**

"Minnie would never do that," older James said shaking his head.

"I do not agree with such punishment," McGonagall said stiffly.

**But Wood turned out to be a person, a burly fifth-year boy who came out of Flitwick's class looking confused.**

**"Follow me, you two," said Professor McGonagall, and they marched on up the corridor, Wood looking curiously at Harry.**

**"In here."**

**Professor McGonagall pointed them into a classroom that was empty except for Peeves, who was busy writing rude words on the blackboard.**

**"Out, Peeves!" she barked. Peeves threw the chalk into a bin, which clanged loudly, and he swooped out cursing. Professor McGonagall slammed the door behind him and turned to face the two boys.**

"How did you do that?" Percy asked.

"Peeves listens to the people he respects," McGonagall answered.

Both sets of Marauders and the twins smirked.

Percy redder than his hair, he never had gotten Peeves to listen to him.

**"Potter, this is Oliver Wood. Wood - I've found you a Seeker."**

Older James just stared at McGonagall like he had never seen her before.

Then he jumped up and started shouting, "I LOVE YOU! I LOVE YOU! I LOVE YOU!"

He also went over and hugged her.

McGonagall patted him awkwardly on the back.

Young James was hugging Harry yelling, "I LOVE YOU! I LOVE YOU! I LOVE YOU!"

Harry was in shock.

Then the two James switched what they were doing.

Finally young Sirius pulled young James back into his seat.

Older Lily and Harry had gotten older James to calm down somewhat.

He was still jumping up and down in his seat muttering very fast.

**Wood's expression changed from puzzlement to delight.**

"Are you kidding I was thrilled!" Oliver shouted.

**"Are you serious, Professor?"**

"No I am," young Sirius said.

"Shut up, that joke got old after the first time you said it," older Sirius said.

Young Sirius stared.

**"Absolutely," said Professor McGonagall crisply. "The boy's a natural. I've never seen anything like it. Was that your first time on a broomstick, Potter?"**

"No," older Lily, older James, older Sirius, older Remus, and Harry said.

"Yes," everyone else said.

Everyone looked at the five confused.

"When Harry was a baby Sirius bought him a little broomstick," older Lily explained.

"How did you know?" older Remus asked.

"7th book," Harry replied.

**Harry nodded silently. He didn't have a clue what was going on, but he didn't seem to be being expelled, and some of the feeling started coming back to his legs.**

"Your not! Your on the Quidditch team! In your first year!" older James squealed.

A few people looked at him like he was crazy.

**"He caught that thing in his hand after a fifty-foot dive," Professor McGonagall told Wood. "Didn't even scratch himself. Charlie Weasley couldn't have done it."**

"I could too!" Charlie cried.

Everyone looked at him like he was crazy.

**Wood was now looking as though all his dreams had come true at once.**

"Most of them. We still had to win the Quidditch Cup," Oliver said.

**"Ever seen a game of Quidditch, Potter?" he asked excitedly.**

"No," older James muttered sadly.

**"Wood's captain of the Gryffindor team," Professor McGonagall explained.**

**"He's just the build for a Seeker, too," said Wood, now walking around Harry and staring at him. "Light - speedy - we'll have to get him a decent broom, Professor - a Nimbus Two Thousand or a Cleansweep Seven, I'd say."**

**I shall speak to Professor Dumbledore and see if we can't bend the first-year rule. Heaven knows, we need a better team than last year. Flattened in that last match by Slytherin, I couldn't look Severus Snape in the face for weeks..."**

"Flatten," young James choked.

Young Sirius looked like he was about to cry.

The three Slytherins looked very pleased.

**Professor McGonagall peered sternly over her glasses at Harry.**

**"I want to hear you're training hard, Potter, or I may change my mind about punishing you."**

**Then she suddenly smiled.**

**"Your father would have been proud,"**

"You bet I am!" older James cried.

** she said. "He was an excellent Quidditch player himself."**

"Thanks Minnie!" young James screamed.

"Don't call me that!" McGonagall snapped.

**"You're joking."**

"She's not!" older James frowned.

"It's a different time," Susan pointed out.

"Oh, never mind," older James muttered.

Older Sirius snorted.

**It was dinnertime. Harry had just finished telling Ron what had happened when he'd left the grounds with Professor McGonagall. Ron had a piece of steak and kidney pie halfway to his mouth, but he'd forgotten all about it.**

"You got Ron to forget about food?" Ginny cried.

"I don't eat that much!" Ron said.

"Yes, you do," Harry and Hermione replied together.

Ron began pouting.

**"Seeker?" he said. "But first years never - you must be the youngest house player in about a century, said Harry, shoveling pie into his mouth. He felt particularly hungry after the excitement of the afternoon. "Wood told me."**

**Ron was so amazed, so impressed, he just sat and gaped at Harry.**

"Ron!" Mrs. Weasley scolded.

"Sorry," Ron shrugged.

**"I start training next week," said Harry. "Only don't tell anyone, Wood wants to keep it a secret."**

"Never going to happen," Frank said.

"Nothing stays secret at Hogwarts," Alice agreed.

"You'd be surprised," young James said.

"There are lots of things kept secret in Hogwarts," Harry agreed.

"Indeed, most of them we'll be reveled by the end of this reading," Dumbledore agreed.

**Fred and George Weasley now came into the hall, spotted Harry, and hurried over.**

**"Well done," said George in a low voice. "Wood told us. We're on the team too - Beaters."**

"Cool, I'm a beater!" young Sirius said striking a pose.

Fred and George looked proud.

**"I tell you, we're going to win that Quidditch cup for sure this year," said Fred. "We haven't won since Charlie left, but this year's team is going to be brilliant. You must be good, Harry, Wood was almost skipping when he told us."**

"I was not!" Oliver yelled.

"Was to," Alicia, Katie, George, Fred, and Angelia argued.

"I was not!" Oliver repeated.

"Was to!" Alicia, Katie, George, Fred, and Angelia shouted.

"Shut up!" Ginny screamed.

Everyone looked at her.

"Thank-you, go on Lavender," Ginny instructed.

"Um...okay," Lavender replied startled.

**"Anyway, we've got to go, Lee Jordan reckons he's found a new secret passageway out of the school."**

**"Bet it's that one behind the statue of Gregory the Smarmy that we found in our first week. See you."**

"You found that in the first week," Lee said disappointed.

"Yeah, didn't want to hurt your feelings mate," George smiled.

"We didn't find that until the second week," older James said in shock.

"We had help," Fred said fairly.

Harry, Ron, and Hermione started to snicker.

"What is it?" older Sirius asked.

"Third book," Harry said.

Older Sirius started thinking about everything that happen in Harry's third year and couldn't think of anything funny.

**Fred and George had hardly disappeared when someone far less welcome turned up: Malfoy, flanked by Crabbe and Goyle.**

"Leave Harry alone," young Sirius growled.

**"Having a last meal, Potter? When are you getting the train back to the Muggles?"**

"He's never going back there," older James snarled.

Harry resisted from telling his dad that his eleven year old self did have to go back there.

**"You're a lot braver now that you're back on the ground and you've got your little friends with you," said Harry coolly.**

"Burn!" Lee yelled.

Fred and George looked at him, "Don't ever do that again."

** There was of course nothing at all little about Crabbe and Goyle, but as the High Table was full of teachers, neither of them could do more than crack their knuckles and scowl.**

"That's right," older Sirius smirked.

"Don't encourage him!" older Lily scolded, hitting older Sirius on the head.

**"I'd take you on anytime on my own," said Malfoy. "Tonight, if you want. Wizard's duel. Wands only - no contact. What's the matter? Never heard of a wizard's duel before, I suppose?"**

"Don't you dare accept!" older Lily said sternly.

**"Of course he has," said Ron, wheeling around. "I'm his second, who's yours?"**

"RON! YOU DON'T GO AROUND ACCEPTING OTHER PEOPLE'S DUELS!" Mrs. Weasley screamed.

"Mum it was years ago," Ron mumbled.

"I DON'T CARE HOW LONG AGO IT WAS! HARRY COULD HAVE BEEN HURT!" Mrs. Weasley continued.

"I wasn't," Harry said.

"But you could have been Harry, dear," Mrs. Weasley said kindly.

She glared at Ron as Lavender went on.

**Malfoy looked at Crabbe and Goyle, sizing them up.**

**"Crabbe," he said. "Midnight all right? We'll meet you in the trophy room; that's always unlocked."**

**When Malfoy had gone, Ron and Harry looked at each other. "What is a wizard's duel?" said Harry.**

"HE DIDN'T KNOW WHAT A WIZARD'S DUEL WAS AND YOU WERE ACCEPTING-"

Older Sirius silenced Mrs. Weasley so only Harry, Ron, older Remus, and older James could see that he did it.

The five chuckled as Mrs. Weasley silently raged on.

Lavender continued confused.

** "And what do you mean, you're my second?"**

**"Well, a second's there to take over if you die," said Ron casually, getting started at last on his cold pie. Catching the look on Harry's face, he added quickly, "But people only die in proper duels, you know, with real wizards. The most you and Malfoy'll be able to do is send sparks at each other. Neither of you knows enough magic to do any real damage. I bet he expected you to refuse, anyway."**

**"And what if I wave my wand and nothing happens?"**

**"Throw it away and punch him on the nose," Ron suggested. "Excuse me."**

**They both looked up. It was Hermione Granger.**

**"Can't a person eat in peace in this place?" said Ron.**

Mrs. Weasley silently scolded her youngest son.

**Hermione ignored him and spoke to Harry.**

**"I couldn't help overhearing what you and Malfoy were saying -"**

**"Bet you could," Ron muttered.**

"Sorry," Ron whispered to Hermione.

"I was a bit over the top then," Hermione said, waving away the apology.

**"-and you mustn't go wandering around the school at night, think of the points you'll lose Gryffindor if you're caught, and you're bound to be. It's really very selfish of you."**

"That's low Hermione," young Remus said.

"Yeah calling Harry selfish," young Sirius agreed.

"I know, I'm sorry Harry," Hermione apologized.

"It's fine Hermione," Harry shrugged.

**"And it's really none of your business," said Harry.**

**"Good-bye," said Ron.**

"That was rather rude," Luna commented.

Harry, Ron, and Hermione burst out laughing.

"Luna, then, all we ever were to each other was rude," Hermione told the girl.

"It does seem that way," Luna said dreamily.

**All the same, it wasn't what you'd call the perfect end to the day, Harry thought, as he lay awake much later listening to Dean and Seamus falling asleep (Neville wasn't back from the hospital wing). Ron had spent all evening giving him advice such as "If he tries to curse you, you'd better dodge it, because I can't remember how to block them."**

"Good advice," Moody grunted.

Ron beamed.

** There was a very good chance they were going to get caught by Filch or Mrs. Norris, and Harry felt he was pushing his luck, breaking another school rule today. On the other hand, Malfoys sneering face kept looming up out of the darkness - this was his big chance to beat Malfoy face-to-face. He couldn't miss it.**

"Just like your father," older Lily muttered, shaking her head.

Father and son grinned at each other.

**"Half-past eleven," Ron muttered at last, "we'd better go."**

**They pulled on their bathrobes, picked up their wands, and crept across the tower room, down the spiral staircase, and into the Gryffindor common room. A few embers were still glowing in the fireplace, turning all the armchairs into hunched black shadows. They had almost reached the portrait hole when a voice spoke from the chair nearest them, "I can't believe you're going to do this, Harry."**

**A lamp flickered on. It was Hermione Granger, wearing a pink bathrobe and a frown.**

**"You!" said Ron furiously. "Go back to bed!"**

**"I almost told your brother," Hermione snapped, "Percy - he's a prefect, he'd put a stop to this."**

"You should have," younger Lily said, "They are breaking the rules! They deserve dentition!"

"Shut up!" older Lily yelled.

Younger Lily looked at her older self in shock.

**Harry couldn't believe anyone could be so interfering.**

"Sorry," Harry repeated.

"I forgave you a long time ago," Hermione said.

**"Come on," he said to Ron. He pushed open the portrait of the Fat Lady and climbed through the hole.**

**Hermione wasn't going to give up that easily.**

"Never does," Ron said proudly.

**She followed Ron through the portrait hole, hissing at them like an angry goose.**

Harry opened his month.

"Don't," Hermione told him.

**"Don't you care about Gryffindor, do you only care about yourselves, I don't want Slytherin to win the house cup, and you'll lose all the points I got from Professor McGonagall for knowing about Switching Spells."**

**"Go away." "All right, but I warned you, you just remember what I said when you're on the train home tomorrow, you're so -"**

**But what they were, they didn't find out. Hermione had turned to the portrait of the Fat Lady to get back inside and found herself facing an empty painting. The Fat Lady had gone on a nighttime visit and Hermione was locked out of Gryffindor tower.**

**"Now what am I going to do?" she asked shrilly.**

**"That's your problem," said Ron. "We've got to go, we're going to be late."**

"Now you worry about being late! You should be worrying about being late for your classes!" Mrs. Weasley said, shrilly.

**They hadn't even reached the end of the corridor when Hermione caught up with them.**

**"I'm coming with you," she said.**

"Why did you want to go with them?" young Lily asked.

"I just wanted them to like me. I never had friends when I was at grade school. I guess a come off a little over the top, besides I like how things turned out," Hermione explained.

**"You are not."**

"You tell her Ron," young Sirius cheered.

Older Sirius glared at his younger self.

**"D'you think I'm going to stand out here and wait for Filch to catch me? If he finds all three of us I'll tell him the truth, that I was trying to stop you, and you can back me up."**

"They wouldn't do that," young James scoffed.

"Ron wouldn't, but Harry would," older Remus smiled softly.

"Why?" young James asked.

"He's too bloody noble for his own good," Ginny answered.

**"You've got some nerve -" said Ron loudly.**

"You really do," Luna commented dreamily.

**"Shut up, both of you!" said Harry sharply, "I heard something."**

"Oh dear," Mrs. Weasley gasped.

**It was a sort of snuffling.**

**"Mrs. Norris?" breathed Ron, squinting through the dark.**

**It wasn't Mrs. Norris. It was Neville. He was curled up on the floor, fast asleep, but jerked suddenly awake as they crept nearer.**

"What are you doing out there?" Alice asked.

Neville smiled mysteriously.

**"Thank goodness you found me! I've been out here for hours, I couldn't remember the new password to get in to bed."**

Some people shook their heads fondly at Neville's forgetfulness.

**"Keep your voice down, Neville. The password's 'Pig snout' but it won't help you now, the Fat Lady's gone off somewhere."**

"Now there's four of you wandering around," young Lily huffed.

"I was such a bitch when I was younger," older Lily muttered.

"A cute one," older James added.

Older Lily smacked him playfully.

**"How's your arm?" said Harry.**

**"Fine," said Neville, showing them. "Madam Pomfrey mended it in about a minute."**

"She can mend anything," older James said.

**"Good - well, look, Neville, we've got to be somewhere, we'll see you later -"**

**"Don't leave me!" said Neville, scrambling to his feet, "I don't want to stay here alone, the Bloody Baron's been past twice already."**

"Scared?" Regulus snickered.

**Ron looked at his watch and then glared furiously at Hermione and Neville.**

**"If either of you get us caught, I'll never rest until I've learned that Curse of the Bogies Quirrell told us about, and used it on you."**

"Better yet, get Ginny to use it on them," George said.

"I would never curse them," Ginny said.

**Hermione opened her mouth, perhaps to tell Ron exactly how to use the Curse of the Bogies, but Harry hissed at her to be quiet and beckoned them all forward.**

"Don't be rude," older Lily said.

"He's right. They need to be as quiet as possible so they won't get caught," older James said.

**They flitted along corridors striped with bars of moonlight from the high windows. At every turn Harry expected to run into Filch or Mrs. Norris, but they were lucky. They sped up a staircase to the third floor and tiptoed toward the trophy room.**

**Malfoy and Crabbe weren't there yet. The crystal trophy cases glimmered where the moonlight caught them. Cups, shields, plates, and statues winked silver and gold in the darkness. They edged along the walls, keeping their eyes on the doors at either end of the room. Harry took out his wand in case Malfoy leapt in and started at once. The minutes crept by.**

**"He's late, maybe he's chickened out," Ron whispered.**

"He set you up," older Sirius growled.

"Coward," young Sirius muttered.

**Then a noise in the next room made them jump. Harry had only just raised his wand when they heard someone speak -and it wasn't Malfoy.**

**"Sniff around, my sweet, they might be lurking in a corner."**

"Damn it," young James shouted.

**It was Filch speaking to Mrs. Norris. Horror-struck, Harry waved madly at the other three to follow him as quickly as possible; they scurried silently toward the door, away from Filch's voice. Neville's robes had barely whipped round the corner when they heard Filch enter the trophy room.**

**"They're in here somewhere," they heard him mutter, "probably hiding."**

"Get out of there before you caught," older Remus said.

"Love, you do realize that you're talking to a book," Tonks pointed out.

"Hush," older Remus blushed.

Tonks giggled.

"I think Moony's on a leash," older Sirius whispered to James.

They two started chuckling.

**"This way!" Harry mouthed to the others and, petrified, they began to creep down a long gallery full of suits of armor. They could hear Filch getting nearer. Neville suddenly let out a frightened squeak and broke into a run -he tripped, grabbed Ron around the waist, and the pair of them toppled right into a suit of armor.**

"That's not good," younger Sirius winced.

"I'm clumsy," Neville defended himself.

**The clanging and crashing were enough to wake the whole castle.**

"Run!" older James commanded.

**"RUN!" Harry yelled,**

Older James blinked.

"Like father like son," older Lily said fondly.

Older James and Harry beamed.

Young Lily looked at her older self in disgust.

** and the four of them sprinted down the gallery, not looking back to see whether Filch was following - they swung around the doorpost and galloped down one corridor then another, Harry in the lead, without any idea where they were or where they were going - they ripped through a tapestry and found themselves in a hidden passageway, hurtled along it and came out near their Charms classroom, which they knew was miles from the trophy room.**

**"I think we've lost him," Harry panted, leaning against the cold wall and wiping his forehead. Neville was bent double, wheezing and spluttering.**

**I - told -you," Hermione gasped, clutching at the stitch in her chest, "I - told - you."**

**"We've got to get back to Gryffindor tower," said Ron, "quickly as possible."**

"You four need to get in shape," young Remus said.

"We are now," Ron said.

"Yeah, running for your life is great practice," Neville added.

"That just makes us worry more," Alice said.

"Welcome to my world dear," Mrs. Weasley said.

**"Malfoy tricked you," Hermione said to Harry. "You realize that, don't you? He was never going to meet you - Filch knew someone was going to be in the trophy room, Malfoy must have tipped him off."**

**Harry thought she was probably right, but he wasn't going to tell her that.**

"Of course not," Hermione rolled her eyes.

**"Let's go."**

**It wasn't going to be that simple. They hadn't gone more than a dozen paces when a doorknob rattled and something came shooting out of a classroom in front of them.**

**It was Peeves. He caught sight of them and gave a squeal of delight.**

**"Shut up, Peeves - please - you'll get us thrown out."**

"That's not how you handle Peeves," the twins and both sets of Marauders said.

**Peeves cackled.**

**"Wandering around at midnight, Ickle Firsties? Tut, tut, tut. Naughty, naughty, you'll get caughty."**

**"Not if you don't give us away, Peeves, please."**

"We have so much to teach you," the twins said.

**"Should tell Filch, I should," said Peeves in a saintly voice, but his eyes glittered wickedly. "It's for your own good, you know."**

**"Get out of the way," snapped Ron, taking a swipe at Peeves this was a big mistake.**

"NO!" both sets of Marauders yelled.

**"STUDENTS OUT OF BED!" Peeves bellowed, "STUDENTS OUT OF BED DOWN THE CHARMS CORRIDOR"**

"How much trouble are we going to be in when they see where we end up?" Ron whispered to his friends.

"Not sure," Harry gulped.

**Ducking under Peeves, they ran for their lives, right to the end of the corridor where they slammed into a door - and it was locked.**

**"This is it!" Ron moaned, as they pushed helplessly at the door, "We're done for! This is the end!" They could hear footsteps, Filch running as fast as he could toward Peeves's shouts.**

**"Oh, move over," Hermione snarled. She grabbed Harry's wand, tapped the lock, and whispered, 'Alohomora!"**

**The lock clicked and the door swung open - they piled through it, shut it quickly, and pressed their ears against it, listening.**

**"Which way did they go, Peeves?" Filch was saying. "Quick, tell me."**

**"Say 'please."'**

"Peeves won't give won't give them away," younger James smirked.

**"Don't mess with me, Peeves, now where did they go?"**

**"Shan't say nothing if you don't say please," said Peeves in his annoying singsong voice.**

**"All right -please."**

**"NOTHING! Ha haaa! Told you I wouldn't say nothing if you didn't say please! Ha ha! Haaaaaa!" And they heard the sound of Peeves whooshing away and Filch cursing in rage.**

"Told you," younger James grinned.

**"He thinks this door is locked," Harry whispered. "I think we'll be okay - get off, Neville!" For Neville had been tugging on the sleeve of Harry's bathrobe for the last minute. "What?"**

**Harry turned around - and saw, quite clearly, what. For a moment, he was sure he'd walked into a nightmare - this was too much, on top of everything that had happened so far.**

"What is it?" older Lily gasped.

"Get out of there," Frank said.

**They weren't in a room, as he had supposed. They were in a corridor. The forbidden corridor on the third floor. And now they knew why it was forbidden.**

"Oh dear," Mrs. Weasley moaned.

**They were looking straight into the eyes of a monstrous dog, a dog that filled the whole space between ceiling and floor. It had three heads. Three pairs of rolling, mad eyes; three noses, twitching and quivering in their direction; three drooling mouths, saliva hanging in slippery ropes from yellowish fangs. **

"WHY THE HELL IS THAT IN A SCHOOL?!" older Lily screamed.

Dumbledore winced. An angry Lily Potter could be more scary than Voldemort.

"It'll be explained later," Dumbledore said.

"IT BETTER BE A GOOD REASON, BECAUSE IF ANYTHING HAPPENS TO MY SON SO HELP ME MERLIN YOU WILL WISH YOU WERE NEVER BORN!" older Lily raged.

"That is why you don't mess with your mother," older Sirius whispered to his godson.

"I'm not sure if she's going to kill me or Dumbledore about what happens later on," Harry told him.

"Big possibly of both if from what I heard about your first year is true," older Sirius whispered.

Harry gulped.

**It was standing quite still, all six eyes staring at them, and Harry knew that the only reason they weren't already dead was that their sudden appearance had taken it by surprise, but it was quickly getting over that, there was no mistaking what those thunderous growls meant.**

**Harry groped for the doorknob - between Filch and death, he'd take Filch.**

"Smart choice," Hannah said faintly.

**They fell backward - Harry slammed the door shut, and they ran, they almost flew, back down the corridor. Filch must have hurried off to look for them somewhere else, because they didn't see him anywhere, but they hardly cared - all they wanted to do was put as much space as possible between them and that monster. They didn't stop running until they reached the portrait of the Fat Lady on the seventh floor.**

**"Where on earth have you all been?" she asked, looking at their bathrobes hanging off their shoulders and their flushed, sweaty faces.**

**"Never mind that - pig snout, pig snout," panted Harry, and the portrait swung forward. They scrambled into the common room and collapsed, trembling, into armchairs.**

**It was a while before any of them said anything. Neville, indeed, looked as if he'd never speak again.**

**"What do they think they're doing, keeping a thing like that locked up in a school?" said Ron finally. "If any dog needs exercise, that one does."**

**Hermione had got both her breath and her bad temper back again. "You don't use your eyes, any of you, do you?" she snapped. "Didn't you see what it was standing on.**

**"The floor?" Harry suggested. "I wasn't looking at its feet, I was too busy with its heads."**

**"No, not the floor. It was standing on a trapdoor. It's obviously guarding something."**

"Good work Granger," Moody said.

**She stood up, glaring at them.**

**"I hope you're pleased with yourselves. We could all have been killed - or worse, expelled. Now, if you don't mind, I'm going to bed."**

"How is being expelled worse than being killed?" young Sirius asked.

"I was native," Hermione explained.

"At 17 you still should be," Mr. Weasley muttered.

Mrs. Weasley nodded.

**Ron stared after her, his mouth open.**

**"No, we don't mind," he said. "You'd think we dragged her along, wouldn't you.**

**But Hermione had given Harry something else to think about as he climbed back into bed. The dog was guarding something... What had Hagrid said? Gringotts was the safest place in the world for something you wanted to hide - except perhaps Hogwarts.**

**It looked as though Harry had found out where the grubby littie package from vault seven hundred and thirteen was.**

"Good work Potter," Moody grunted.

"That's it. Who wants to read next?" Lavender asked.

_AN: Yeah, another update! I hope to have another up before the night is over, but we'll see. Thanks for all the support!_

_~ Pottergirl3333_


	11. Halloween

"I'll read," Alice said.

She was passed the book.

**HALLOWEEN**

**Malfoy couldn't believe his eyes when he saw that Harry and Ron were still at Hogwarts the next day, looking tired but perfectly cheerful. Indeed, by the next morning Harry and Ron thought that meeting the three-headed dog had been an excellent adventure,**

"Adventure?!" older Lily cried.

Harry and Ron grinned.

"Your crazy," Padma stated.

"If you think this is bad, wait til second year," Ron shuddered.

"I think fifth year was pretty bad," Hermione said.

"This year was the worst, third year was the safest," Harry concluded.

"That's scary," older Sirius muttered.

Older Remus nodded.

** and they were quite keen to have another one. In the meantime, Harry filled Ron in about the package that seemed to have been moved from Gringotts to Hogwarts, and they spent a lot of time wondering what could possibly need such heavy protection. "It's either really valuable or really dangerous," said Ron. "Or both," said Harry.**

"Good thinking," Moody growled.

**But as all they knew for sure about the mysterious object was that it was about two inches long, they didn't have much chance of guessing what it was without further clues.**

**Neither Neville nor Hermione showed the slightest interest in what lay underneath the dog and the trapdoor. All Neville cared about was never going near the dog again.**

"Thank God," Alice muttered.

**Hermione was now refusing to speak to Harry and Ron, but she was such a bossy know-it-all that they saw this as an added bonus.**

"Harry!" older Lily scolded.

"RON!" Mrs. Weasley yelled.

"Sorry Hermione," they muttered shamefully.

** All they really wanted now was a way of getting back at Malfoy, and to their great delight, just such a thing arrived in the mail about a week later.**

**As the owls flooded into the Great Hall as usual, everyone's attention was caught at once by a long, thin package carried by six large screech owls. Harry was just as interested as everyone else to see what was in this large parcel, and was amazed when the owls soared down and dropped it right in front of him, knocking his bacon to the floor. They had hardly fluttered out of the way when another owl dropped a letter on top of the parcel.**

**Harry ripped open the letter first, which was lucky, because it said:**

**DO NOT OPEN THE PARCEL AT THE TABLE.**

**It contains your new Nimbus Two Thousand, but I don't want everybody knowing you've got a broomstick or they'll all want one. Oliver Wood will meet you tonight on the Quidditch field at seven o'clock for your first training session.**

**Professor McGonagall**

"YOU GOT MY SON HIS FIRST BROOMSTICK! I LOVE YOU!" young James shouted.

"Sirius got me my first broomstick when I was a baby," Harry told him.

"I LOVE YOU PADFOOT!" young James exclaimed, hugging his best friend.

"Um..." young Sirius looked from disturbed.

**Harry had difficulty hiding his glee as he handed the note to Ron to read.**

**"A Nimbus Two Thousand!" Ron moaned enviously. "I've never even touched one."**

**They left the hall quickly, wanting to unwrap the broomstick in private before their first class, but halfway across the entrance hall they found the way upstairs barred by Crabbe and Goyle. Malfoy seized the package from Harry and felt it.**

**"That's a broomstick," he said, throwing it back to Harry with a mixture of jealousy and spite on his face. "You'll be in for it this time, Potter, first years aren't allowed them."**

**Ron couldn't resist it.**

**"It's not any old broomstick," he said, "it's a Nimbus Two Thousand. What did you say you've got at home, Malfoy, a Comet Two Sixty?" Ron grinned at Harry. "Comets look flashy, but they're not in the same league as the Nimbus."**

**"What would you know about it, Weasley, you couldn't afford half the handle," Malfoy snapped back. "I suppose you and your brothers have to save up twig by twig."**

**Before Ron could answer, Professor Flitwick appeared at Malfoy's elbow.**

**"Not arguing, I hope, boys?" he squeaked.**

**"Potter's been sent a broomstick, Professor," said Malfoy quickly.**

**"Yes, yes, that's right," said Professor Flitwick, beaming at Harry. "Professor McGonagall told me all about the special circumstances, Potter. And what model is it?"**

**"A Nimbus Two Thousand, sit," said Harry, fighting not to laugh at the look of horror on Malfoy's face. "And it's really thanks to Malfoy here that I've got it," he added.**

The whole hall was laughing.

"That was brilliant," George cried.

**Harry and Ron headed upstairs, smothering their laughter at Malfoy's obvious rage and confusion. "Well, it's true," Harry chortled as they reached the top of the marble staircase, "If he hadn't stolen Neville's Remembrall I wouln't be on the team..."**

**"So I suppose you think that's a reward for breaking rules?" came an angry voice from just behind them. Hermione was stomping up the stairs, looking disapprovingly at the package in Harry's hand.**

**"I thought you weren't speaking to us?" said Harry.**

**"Yes, don't stop now," said Ron, "it's doing us so much good."**

**Hermione marched away with her nose in the air.**

"I'm still lost on how you three became friends," Frank said shaking his head.

"I know, I never knew they weren't," Justin agreed.

"You almost never see one without the other two," Tonks added.

**Harry had a lot of trouble keeping his mind on his lessons that day.**

"Harry," older Lily sighed.

"Don't be hard on him Lils. Quidditch is more important," older James said.

Older Lily hit him on the head.

Older Sirius and Remus smirked.

** It kept wandering up to the dormitory where his new broomstick was lying under his bed, or straying off to the Quidditch field where he'd be learning to play that night. He bolted his dinner that evening without noticing what he was eating, and then rushed upstairs with Ron to unwrap the Nimbus Two Thousand at last.**

**"Wow," Ron sighed, as the broomstick rolled onto Harry's bedspread.**

**Even Harry, who knew nothing about the different brooms, thought it looked wonderful. Sleek and shiny, with a mahogany handle, it had a long tail of neat, straight twigs and Nimbus Two Thousand written in gold near the top.**

Both James and young Sirius were drooling.

"Isn't amazing Padfoot?" older James moaned in longing.

"I've seen better," older Sirius yawned.

Older James looked like he could pass out.

Tonks and the trio were snickering.

**As seven o'clock drew nearer, Harry left the castle and set off in the dusk toward the Quidditch field. Held never been inside the stadium before. Hundreds of seats were raised in stands around the field so that the spectators were high enough to see what was going on. At either end of the field were three golden poles with hoops on the end. They reminded Harry of the little plastic sticks Muggle children blew bubbles through, except that they were fifty feet high.**

"That's a odd thing to do," Terry said.

"Not for Muggle children," Tonks told him.

"How do you know?" Terry asked.

"My dad was Muggle-born," Tonks said quietly.

Older Remus reached for her hand under the table.

"Was?" older Sirius repeated.

Nobody answered his question. There was no real need.

**Too eager to fly again to wait for Wood, Harry mounted his broomstick and kicked off from the ground. What a feeling - he swooped in and out of the goal posts and then sped up and down the field. The Nimbus Two Thousand turned wherever he wanted at his lightest touch.**

"You really are a natural Harry," Alicia commented.

Harry grinned at her.

**"Hey, Potter, come down!'**

**Oliver Wood had arrived. He was carrying a large wooden crate under his arm. Harry landed next to him.**

**"Very nice," said Wood, his eyes glinting. "I see what McGonagall meant... you really are a natural. I'm just going to teach you the rules this evening, then you'll be joining team practice three times a week."**

"You forgot to mention the part," Fred started

"About how we're the best team Hogwarts has ever seen!" George finished.

The two high-fived and the people in the room that agreed with them started cheering.

**He opened the crate. Inside were four different-sized balls.**

**"Right," said Wood. "Now, Quidditch is easy enough to understand, even if it's not too easy to play. There are seven players on each side. Three of them are called Chasers."**

Katie, Alicia, and Angelina up and bowed.

**"Three Chasers," Harry repeated, as Wood took out a bright red ball about the size of a soccer ball.**

**"This ball's called the Quaffle," said Wood. "The Chasers throw the Quaffle to each other and try and get it through one of the hoops to score a goal. Ten points every time the Quaffle goes through one of the hoops. Follow me?"**

**"The Chasers throw the Quaffle and put it through the hoops to score," Harry recited. "So - that's sort of like basketball on broomsticks with six hoops, isn't it?"**

**"What's basketball?" said Wood curiously. "Never mind," said Harry quickly.**

**"Now, there's another player on each side who's called the Keeper**

Oliver got up and bowed.

** -I'm Keeper for Gryffindor. I have to fly around our hoops and stop the other team from scoring."**

**"Three Chasers, one Keeper," said Harry, who was determined to remember it all. "And they play with the Quaffle. Okay, got that. So what are they for?" He pointed at the three balls left inside the box.**

**"I'll show you now," said Wood. "Take this."**

**He handed Harry a small club, a bit like a short baseball bat.**

**"I'm going to show you what the Bludgers do," Wood said. "These two are the Bludgers."**

**He showed Harry two identical balls, jet black and slightly smaller than the red Quaffle. Harry noticed that they seemed to be straining to escape the straps holding them inside the box.**

**"Stand back," Wood warned Harry. He bent down and freed one of the Bludgers.**

**At once, the black ball rose high in the air and then pelted straight at Harry's face. Harry swung at it with the bat to stop it from breaking his nose, and sent it zigzagging away into the air - it zoomed around their heads and then shot at Wood, who dived on top of it and managed to pin it to the ground.**

**"See?" Wood panted, forcing the struggling Bludger back into the crate and strapping it down safely. "The Bludgers rocket around, trying to knock players off their brooms. That's why you have two Beaters on each team - the Weasley twins are ours -**

Said twins got up and bowed.

** it's their job to protect their side from the Bludgers and try and knock them toward the other team. So - think you've got all that?"**

**"Three Chasers try and score with the Quaffle; the Keeper guards the goal posts; the Beaters keep the Bludgers away from their team," Harry reeled off.**

**"Very good," said Wood.**

**"Er - have the Bludgers ever killed anyone?" Harry asked, hoping he sounded offhand.**

**"Never at Hogwarts. We've had a couple of broken jaws but nothing worse than that. Now, the last member of the team is the**

**Seeker. That's you.**

Harry smirked.

Ron and Hermione forced him to stand up.

He glared at them and sat down.

** And you don't have to worry about the Quaffle or the Bludgers-"**

**"- unless they crack my head open."**

**"Don't worry, the Weasleys are more than a match for the Bludgers - I mean, they're like a pair of human Bludgers themselves."**

"Thanks Oliver," George said.

"Didn't know you thought so highly of us," Fred added.

"If I let you two think that you would never show up for practice," Oliver pointed out.

"Good point," the twins muttered.

**Wood reached into the crate and took out the fourth and last ball. Compared with the Quaffle and the Bludgers, it was tiny, about the size of a large walnut. It was bright gold and had little fluttering silver wings.**

**"This," said Wood, "is the Golden Snitch, and it's the most important ball of the lot. It's very hard to catch because it's so fast and difficult to see. It's the Seeker's job to catch it. You've got to weave in and out of the Chasers, Beaters, Bludgers, and Quaffle to get it before the other team's Seeker, because whichever Seeker catches the Snitch wins his team an extra hundred and fifty points, so they**

**nearly always win. That's why Seekers get fouled so much. A game of Quidditch only ends when the Snitch is caught, so it can go on for ages - I think the record is three months, they had to keep bringing on substitutes so the players could get some sleep. "Well, that's it - any questions?"**

**Harry shook his head. He understood what he had to do all right, it was doing it that was going to be the problem.**

Ron snorted.

"Your the best player Hogwarts has ever seen!" Dean exclaimed.

"Hey!" both James and young Sirius cried out.

"Sorry, he has you beat," older Remus said.

Both James and young Sirius started pouting.

"He's only speaking the truth," older Sirius said.

"He must be good for Sirius to admit he's better than him," Frank said.

**"We won't practice with the Snitch yet," said Wood, carefully shutting it back inside the crate, "it's too dark, we might lose it. Let's try you out with a few of these."**

**He pulled a bag of ordinary golf balls out of his pocket and a few minutes later, he and Harry were up in the air, Wood throwing the golf balls as hard as he could in every direction for Harry to catch.**

**Harry didn't miss a single one,**

"You are good!" young James shouted.

Young Lily rolled her eyes.

** and Wood was delighted. After half an hour, night had really fallen and they couldn't carry on.**

**"That Quidditch cup'll have our name on it this year," said Wood happily as they trudged back up to the castle. "I wouldn't be surprised if you turn out better than Charlie Weasley, and he could have played for England if he hadn't gone off chasing dragons."**

"Crazy," older James muttered.

Older Lily hit him on the head again.

"Ow," he muttered.

"What can I say? I like dragons better than Quidditch," Charlie shrugged.

"Weirdo," Oliver muttered.

The people that heard him rolled their eyes.

**Perhaps it was because he was now so busy, what with Quidditch practice three evenings a week on top of all his homework, but Harry could hardly believe it when he realized that he'd already been at Hogwarts two months. The castle felt more like home than Privet Drive ever had. His lessons, too, were becoming more and more interesting now that they had mastered the basics.**

**On Halloween morning they woke to the delicious smell of baking pumpkin wafting through the corridors. Even better, Professor Flitwick announced in Charms that he thought they were ready to start making objects fly, something they had all been dying to try since they'd seen him make Neville's toad zoom around the classroom. Professor Flitwick put the class into pairs to practice. Harry's partner was Seamus Finnigan (which was a relief, because Neville had been trying to catch his eye).**

"Sorry Neville," Harry apologized.

Frank and Alice were glaring at Harry.

"It's okay. I understand, I'm not the best person to be around when learning a new spell," Neville smiled.

** Ron, however, was to be working with Hermione Granger. It was hard to tell whether Ron or Hermione was angrier about this.**

"Is this how you become friends?" Hannah asked.

"No, but it's an important part," Hermione answered.

** She hadn't spoken to either of them since the day Harry's broomstick had arrived.**

Hagrid shook his head fondly.

**"Now, don't forget that nice wrist movement we've been practicing!" squeaked Professor Flitwick, perched on top of his pile of books as usual. "Swish and flick, remember, swish and flick. And saying the magic words properly is very important, too - never forget Wizard Baruffio, who said 's' instead of 'f' and found himself on the floor with a buffalo on his chest."**

"Don't try it for laughs either," older James muttered.

"I told you not to," older Remus laughed.

"It was funny to see though," older Sirius smirked.

"It was painfully!" young James cried.

"Only Potter is stupid enough to try that," young Severus muttered.

Regulus grinned at his friend.

Young Severus face-palmed.

**It was very difficult. Harry and Seamus swished and flicked, but the feather they were supposed to be sending skyward just lay on the desktop. Seamus got so impatient that he prodded it with his wand and set fire to it - Harry had to put it out with his hat.**

Dean started laughing.

"I'm not the only with problems than," Neville grinned.

"Shut it," Seamus growled.

**Ron, at the next table, wasn't having much more luck.**

**"Wingardium Leviosa!" he shouted, waving his long arms like a windmill.**

Ginny burst out laughing.

"I don't think that's how it's done Ron," Luna giggled.

**"You're saying it wrong," Harry heard Hermione snap. "It's Wing-gar-dium Levi-o-sa, make the 'gar' nice and long."**

"I know your trying to help, but you could have said it a bit nicer," Tonks said gently.

"I know that now," Hermione smiled.

**"You do it, then, if you're so clever," Ron snarled.**

Fred groaned.

"Never ask a smart person to prove they can do something," George shook his head.

"Also you should have been nicer to her," Mr. Weasley scolded lightly.

**Hermione rolled up the sleeves of her gown, flicked her wand, and said, "Wingardium Leviosa!"**

**Their feather rose off the desk and hovered about four feet above their heads.**

**"Oh, well done!" cried Professor Flitwick, clapping. "Everyone see here, Miss Granger's done it!"**

**Ron was in a very bad mood by the end of the class. "It's no wonder no one can stand her," he said to Harry as they pushed their way into the crowded corridor, "she's a nightmare, honestly."**

"RON!" Ginny yelled.

"HOW COULD YOU BE SO RUDE!?" Mrs. Weasley screamed.

"Mrs. Weasley don't worry about it. It was for the best," Hermione said.

**Someone knocked into Harry as they hurried past him. It was Hermione. Harry caught a glimpse of her face - and was startled to see that she was in tears.**

"That was very rude of you Ronald," Luna stated.

"I didn't know she was there," Ron mumbled.

"You shouldn't have said it anyways," Cedric said.

**"I think she heard you."**

**"So?" said Ron, but he looked a bit uncomfortable. "She must've noticed she's got no friends."**

"RON!" Mrs. Weasley screamed.

Ron looked down shamefully.

**Hermione didn't turn up for the next class and wasn't seen all afternoon. On their way down to the Great Hall for the Halloween feast, Harry and Ron overheard Parvati Patil telling her friend Lavender that Hermione was crying in the girls' bathroom and wanted to be left alone. Ron looked still more awkward at this, but a moment later they had entered the Great Hall, where the Halloween decorations put Hermione out of their minds.**

**A thousand live bats fluttered from the walls and ceiling while a thousand more swooped over the tables in low black clouds, making the candles in the pumpkins stutter. The feast appeared suddenly on the golden plates, as it had at the start-of-term banquet.**

**Harry was just helping himself to a baked potato when Professor Quirrell**

The trio growled.

** came sprinting into the hall, his turban askew and terror on his face. Everyone stared as he reached Professor Dumbledore's chair, slumped against the table, and gasped, "Troll - in the dungeons - thought you ought to know."**

"How did a troll get in?" Alice asked.

"I think we all want to know the answer to that," Mr. Weasley said.

**He then sank to the floor in a dead faint.**

"And he's teaching defense," Moody grumbled in disgust.

**There was an uproar. It took several purple firecrackers exploding from the end of Professor Dumbledore's wand to bring silence.**

"Everyone must stay calm to get out safely," Tonks said, her aurror training kicking in.

**"Prefects," he rumbled, "lead your Houses back to the dormitories immediately!"**

**Percy was in his element.**

"I used to be such a prat," Percy said.

"The keyword is used to be," Fred reminded him.

"You come back," George added.

"It's what you are now that matters," Harry commented.

**"Follow me! Stick together, first years! No need to fear the troll if you follow my orders! Stay close behind me, now. Make way, first years coming through! Excuse me, I'm a prefect!"**

"You better go with the others," Mrs. Weasley commanded the two boys.

They grinned at her.

Older James, Lily, Remus, and Sirius groaned.

"Why would you go after a troll?" Tonks asked in disbeilf.

"Who said we went after the troll?" Ron pointed out.

"You smiled," Mr. Weasley said.

Harry and Ron shrugged.

**"How could a troll get in?" Harry asked as they climbed the stairs.**

**"Don't ask me, they're supposed to be really stupid," said Ron. "Maybe Peeves let it in for a Halloween joke."**

"Peeves wouldn't do that," young Remus said.

"He knows better," young Sirius agreed.

"He only does pranks where people don't get seriously hurt," young James added.

"Siriusly," young Sirius put in.

Everyone that had heard that joke more than once groaned.

**They passed different groups of people hurrying in different directions. As they jostled their way through a crowd of confused Hufflepuffs, Harry suddenly grabbed Ron's arm.**

**"I've just thought - Hermione."**

"She doesn't know about the troll," Ginny gasped.

"That's why you went after the troll?" Tonks asked.

Harry nodded.

"But you weren't even friends yet," Regulus said confused.

"It doesn't matter. She didn't desreve to be attacked by a troll," Harry said.

**"What about her?"**

**"She doesn't know about the troll."**

**Ron bit his lip.**

**"Oh, all right," he snapped. "But Percy'd better not see us."**

"I wish I had. You wouldn't have had to go after the troll yourselves," Percy said.

"You would have come with us?" Ron asked.

"Of course, your my little brother," Percy said.

Ron was in shock. He never knew Percy cared that much.

**Ducking down, they joined the Hufflepuffs going the other way, slipped down a deserted side corridor, and hurried off toward the girls' bathroom. They had just turned the corner when they heard quick footsteps behind them.**

**"Percy!" hissed Ron, pulling Harry behind a large stone griffin.**

**Peering around it, however, they saw not Percy but Snape.**

"What were you doing?" older James asked.

"My job," Snape answered dully.

** He crossed the corridor and disappeared from view.**

**"What's he doing?" Harry whispered. "Why isn't he down in the dungeons with the rest of the teachers?"**

**"Search me."**

**Quietly as possible, they crept along the next corridor after Snape's fading footsteps.**

**"He's heading for the third floor," Harry said, but Ron held up his hand.**

"That's where the three headed dog is at!" Tonks exclaimed.

**"Can you smell something?"**

**Harry sniffed and a foul stench reached his nostrils, a mixture of old socks and the kind of public toilet no one seems to clean.**

"The troll," older Lily groaned.

Older James paled.

**And then they heard it - a low grunting, and the shuffling footfalls of gigantic feet. Ron pointed - at the end of a passage to the left, something huge was moving toward them. They shrank into the shadows and watched as it emerged into a patch of moonlight.**

**It was a horrible sight. Twelve feet tall, its skin was a dull, granite gray, its great lumpy body like a boulder with its small bald head perched on top like a coconut. It had short legs thick as tree trunks with flat, horny feet. The smell coming from it was incredible. It was holding a huge wooden club, which dragged along the floor because its arms were so long.**

**The troll stopped next to a doorway and peered inside. It waggled its long ears, making up its tiny mind, then slouched slowly into the room.**

**"The keys in the lock," Harry muttered. "We could lock it in."**

"Smart," Moody muttered.

**"Good idea," said Ron nervously.**

**They edged toward the open door, mouths dry, praying the troll wasn't about to come out of it. With one great leap, Harry managed to grab the key, slam the door, and lock it.**

**'Yes!"**

"That was your encounter with the troll. You had me worried for no reason," older Sirius sighed in relieve.

**Flushed with their victory, they started to run back up the passage, but as they reached the corner they heard something that made their hearts stop - a high, petrified scream**

"HERMIONE!" Luna and Ginny cried.

"YOU LOCKED ME IN WITH THE TROLL!" Hermione screamed.

"We came back," Ron muttered.

"We're sorry," Harry whispered.

"I spoke too soon," older Sirius said.

** - and it was coming from the chamber they'd just chained up.**

**"Oh, no," said Ron, pale as the Bloody Baron.**

**"It's the girls' bathroom!" Harry gasped.**

**"Hermione!" they said together.**

"Now you remember!" Fleur exclaimed.

**It was the last thing they wanted to do, but what choice did they have? Wheeling around, they sprinted back to the door and turned the key, fumbling in their panic. Harry pulled the door open and they ran inside.**

"Be careful," Mrs. Weasley fretted.

**Hermione Granger was shrinking against the wall opposite, looking as if she was about to faint. The troll was advancing on her, knocking the sinks off the walls as it went.**

"Get out of there," older Remus urged.

**"Confuse it!" Harry said desperately to Ron, and, seizing a tap, he threw it as hard as he could against the wall.**

"Good job, Potter," Moody said.

"Stop complementing them! They could have been killed! They should have told someone! They had plenty of chances too!" older Lily screamed.

Harry gulped and slipped low in his seat.

"That goes for you too young man! You were only in your first year! It's a miracle you didn't all die!" Mrs. Weasley shouted.

**The troll stopped a few feet from Hermione. It lumbered around, blinking stupidly, to see what had made the noise. Its mean little eyes saw Harry. It hesitated, then made for him instead, lifting its club as it went.**

**"Oy, pea-brain!" yelled Ron from the other side of the chamber, and he threw a metal pipe at it. The troll didn't even seem to notice the pipe hitting its shoulder, but it heard the yell and paused again, turning its ugly snout toward Ron instead, giving Harry time to run around it.**

**"Come on, run, run!" Harry yelled at Hermione, trying to pull her toward the door, but she couldn't move, she was still flat against the wall, her mouth open with terror.**

"I don't blame you. I would have died just seeing the thing," Cho shuddered.

A few people nodded in agreement.

**The shouting and the echoes seemed to be driving the troll berserk. It roared again and started toward Ron, who was nearest and had no way to escape.**

**Harry then did something that was both very brave and very stupid:**

"Great," older Sirius moaned.

** He took a great running jump and managed to fasten his arms around the troll's neck from behind.**

"HARRY JAMES POTTER! DON'T YOU EVER DO ANYTHING SO STUPID AGAIN!" older Lily yelled.

"Even if I have a good reason?" Harry offered.

"IF YOU ARE ENDANGERING YOUR LIFE OR HEALTH THAN I DON'T CARE WHAT THE REASON IS!" older Lily continued.

Alice started reading before older Lily could go on.

** The troll couldn't feel Harry hanging there, but even a troll will notice if you stick a long bit of wood up its nose, and Harry's wand had still been in his hand when he'd jumped - it had gone straight up one of the troll's nostrils.**

"EWW!" Lavender cried.

"I hope you washed it before you used it again," Katie said.

**Howling with pain, the troll twisted and flailed its club, with Harry clinging on for dear life; any second, the troll was going to rip him off or catch him a terrible blow with the club.**

"No," older James muttered.

**Hermione had sunk to the floor in fright;**

"Foolish girl, run," Moody growled.

"She was in her first year. What do you expect?" McGonagall pointed out.

** Ron pulled out his own wand - not knowing what he was going to do he heard himself cry the first spell that came into his head: "Wingardium Leviosa!"**

"Ron! You don't know how to work the spell yet!" Mr. Weasley said.

"It was the first thing that popped into my head," Ron defended.

**The club flew suddenly out of the troll's hand, rose high, high up into the air, turned slowly over - and dropped, with a sickening crack, onto its owner's head. **

"Way to go Ron!" young James and Sirius cheered.

**The troll swayed on the spot and then fell flat on its face, with a thud that made the whole room tremble.**

"Thank Merlin," Charlie whispered.

**Harry got to his feet. He was shaking and out of breath. Ron was standing there with his wand still raised, staring at what he had done.**

**It was Hermione who spoke first.**

**"Is it - dead?"**

"No it takes more than that to kill a troll," older Remus said.

**I don't think so," said Harry, "I think it's just been knocked out."**

**He bent down and pulled his wand out of the troll's nose. It was covered in what looked like lumpy gray glue.**

**"Urgh - troll boogers."**

"Nasty," Alicia stated.

"I would be ordering a new wand," Parvati said.

**He wiped it on the troll's trousers.**

"I'd still wash it," Katie commented.

Many people nodded.

**A sudden slamming and loud footsteps made the three of them look up. They hadn't realized what a racket they had been making, but of course, someone downstairs must have heard the crashes and the troll's roars. A moment later, Professor McGonagall had come bursting into the room, closely followed by Snape, with Quirrell bringing up the rear. Quirrell took one look at the troll, let out a faint whimper, and sat quickly down on a toilet, clutching his heart.**

Ron muttered some very rude things, that made Hermione yell "RON!"

**Snape bent over the troll. Professor McGonagall was looking at Ron and Harry. Harry had never seen her look so angry. Her lips were white. Hopes of winning fifty points for Gryffindor faded quickly from Harry's mind.**

"ARE YOU CRAZY!?" older James shouted.

Harry was in shock. He thought his mother would have yelled, but his father?

"I WOULD HAVE TAKEN 50 FROM YOU IF IT WAS ME! THAN PUT YOU IN DENTITION FOR A MONTH!" he continued.

Mrs. Weasley was yelling at Ron the same way.

When both parents had stopped, Alice went on.

**"What on earth were you thinking of?" said Professor McGonagall, with cold fury in her voice. Harry looked at Ron, who was still standing with his wand in the air. "You're lucky you weren't killed. Why aren't you in your dormitory?"**

**Snape gave Harry a swift, piercing look. Harry looked at the floor. He wished Ron would put his wand down.**

**Then a small voice came out of the shadows.**

**"Please, Professor McGonagall - they were looking for me."**

**"Miss Granger!"**

**Hermione had managed to get to her feet at last.**

**"I went looking for the troll because I - I thought I could deal with it on my own - you know, because I've read all about them."**

"I can't believe you lied to me," McGonagall said.

"Us too," Ron said.

"I didn't want them getting in trouble. They had just saved my life," Hermione explained.

"I see your point," Tonks commented.

"Don't encourage them," her husband whispered.

Tonks shrugged.

**Ron dropped his wand. Hermione Granger, telling a downright lie to a teacher? "If they hadn't found me, I'd be dead now. Harry stuck his wand up its nose and Ron knocked it out with its own club. They didn't have time to come and fetch anyone. It was about to finish me off when they arrived."**

"That part was true," Hermione said.

"We know we just read about it," Lee pointed out.

Hermione blushed.

**Harry and Ron tried to look as though this story wasn't new to them.**

**"Well - in that case..." said Professor McGonagall, staring at the three of them, "Miss Granger, you foolish girl, how could you think of tackling a mountain troll on your own?"**

**Hermione hung her head. Harry was speechless. Hermione was the last person to do anything against the rules, and here she was, pretending she had, to get them out of trouble. It was as if Snape had started handing out sweets.**

"That's more impossible than Hermione lying," Susan said.

"Amen to that," Hannah agreed.

**"Miss Granger, five points will be taken from Gryffindor for this," said Professor McGonagall. "I'm very disappointed in you. If you're not hurt at all, you'd better get off to Gryffindor tower. Students are finishing the feast in their houses."**

"ONLY FIVE?" Mrs. Weasley yelled.

"I was in shock," McGonagall said.

**Hermione left.**

**Professor McGonagall turned to Harry and Ron.**

**"Well, I still say you were lucky, but not many first years could have taken on a full-grown mountain troll. You each win Gryffindor five points. Professor Dumbledore will be informed of this. You may go."**

"YOU AWARDED THEM!" older James shouted.

McGonagall smiled at him, "You would have done the same thing if you were him."

Older James didn't deny it.

**They hurried out of the chamber and didn't speak at all until they had climbed two floors up. It was a relief to be away from the smell of the troll, quite apart from anything else.**

**"We should have gotten more than ten points," Ron grumbled.**

**"Five, you mean, once she's taken off Hermione's."**

Mrs. Weasley started grumbling.

**"Good of her to get us out of trouble like that," Ron admitted. "Mind you, we did save her."**

**"She might not have needed saving if we hadn't locked the thing in with her," Harry reminded him.**

**They had reached the portrait of the Fat Lady.**

**"Pig snout," they said and entered.**

**The common room was packed and noisy. Everyone was eating the food that had been sent up. Hermione, however, stood alone by the door, waiting for them. There was a very embarrassed pause. Then, none of them looking at each other, they all said "Thanks," and hurried off to get plates.**

**But from that moment on, Hermione Granger became their friend. There are some things you can't share without ending up liking each other, and knocking out a twelve-foot mountain troll is one of them.**

"Only you three," Colin said.

"Crazy," Frank mumbled.

"You get use to it," Neville said.

"That's the end of the chapter," Alice announced.

_AN: So this is chapter people have been asking for the most, but I don't think I did that good on it. Anyways tell me what you think. Thanks for all the support!_

_~ Pottergirl3333_


	12. Quidditch

_Disclaimer: I don't own Harry Potter...sadly._

"Who wants to read next?" Alice asked.

"I will," Seamus raised his hand.

"You can read?" Dean pretended to be shocked.

"Oh, very funny," Seamus snapped.

"I thought it was funny," Neville added.

"Shut up Neville," Seamus glared.

Neville chuckled and Seamus started reading.

**QUIDDITCH**

"WOOOOOOOO!" both James, both Sirius, Fred, George, Charlie, Oliver, Ron, Katie, Cho, Cedric, Ginny, Frank, Alicia, Angelina, Tonks, Harry, Terry, Dean, Micheal, Seamus, Lee, and Regulus cheered.

Older Lily rolled her eyes.

"What is it with you people and Quidditch?" Hermione muttered.

"It's the most amazing sport in the whole world!" Ron exclaimed.

"It's even better than football!" Dean added.

"What's football?" Anthony inquired.

"It's a Muggle sport that Dean is obsessed with," Neville answered.

Hermione sighed.

"I don't understand it either Hermione," young Lily shrugged.

"Quidditch is a wonderful sport. It is so much fun to play and watch. The feeling of being in the air is the best and just add in the danger of might being pushed off your broom. Along with trying to score the winning goal and catch the snitch. Nothing will ever beat it," young James said.

"Shut up, Potter! this is not time for one of your rants on how much you love Quidditch!" young Lily snarled.

"Why is it that I'm the only one you ever yell at? Everyone else was talking about Quidditch and you didn't say anything to them!" young James yelled.

Both Remus, both Sirius, Alice, Frank, older Lily, older James, Regulus, and both Snapes groaned.

"There not as annoying as you are!" young Lily screamed.

"We are never going to finish this chapter," Ginny muttered to Luna.

"Not while their arguing," Luna replied.

"How am I annoying?" young James demanded.

"You think you are the best thing that ever walked the face of the earth, but you're not! Your rude, mean, and childish!" young Lily shouted.

"Must not think I'm too bad, cause you married me in the future!" young James pointed out.

"I WILL NEVER MARRY YOU!" young Lily shrieked.

"YOU KNOW IF ANYONE HERE THINKS THEY ARE THE BEST THING IN THE WORLD HERE IT'S YOU! YOU ALWAYS GO AROUND YELLING AT EVERYONE OVER THE SMALLEST MISTAKE UNLESS YOU LIKE THEM! THAN IT'S OKAY IF THEY MESS UP, BUT YOU WILL NEVER GIVE ANYONE ELSE A CHANCE!" young James shouted.

Young Lily looked like she'd been slapped in the face and sat down.

"I think that was a little harsh," young Remus whispered when young James sat down.

"I'm just tried of her singling me out," young James told him.

"I think she had it coming they way she treats Prongs," young Sirius said rather nastily.

"He's a piece of work," Alice snarled.

"Don't listen to him Lily," Frank said.

"It's true though," young Lily muttered, "There is barely anyone in this room I like. Due mainly to the fact that I haven't given any of them a chance. The worst part is my future son is in here and he probably is thinking I'm so sort of crazy person."

"I'm sure Harry doesn't think that," Alice comforted.

"She's right. Just look at how is acting with your future self. You mean the world to him," Frank pointed out.

"Can I go on now?" Seamus asked.

"Sure sorry," young Lily muttered.

Seamus continued.

**As they entered November, the weather turned very cold. The mountains around the school became icy gray and the lake like chilled steel. Every morning the ground was covered in frost. Hagrid could be seen from the upstairs windows defrosting broomsticks on the Quidditch field, bundled up in a long moleskin overcoat, rabbit fur gloves, and enormous beaverskin boots.**

**The Quidditch season had begun. On Saturday, Harry would be playing in his first match after weeks of training: Gryffindor versus Slytherin. If Gryffindor won, they would move up into second place in the house championship.**

"GO GRYFFINDOR!" just about everyone clapped and cheered.

**Hardly anyone had seen Harry play because Wood had decided that, as their secret weapon, Harry should be kept, well, secret.**

"You can't keep a secret in Hogwarts," Kingsley snorted.

"You'd be surprised," older Remus smirked.

"There is many secrets kept at Hogwarts," Hermione added.

"You three are an exception," Bill laughed.

"What can we say," Ron shrugged.

** But the news that he was playing Seeker had leaked out somehow, and Harry didn't know which was worse - people telling him he'd be brilliant or people telling him they'd be running around underneath him holding a mattress.**

"Just be glad they care enough to do that," older Lily smiled.

**It was really lucky that Harry now had Hermlone as a friend. He didn't know how he'd have gotten through all his homework without her, **

"Gee thanks," Hermione said.

"I guess the secret about why we really keep her around is out," Harry sighed.

"It doesn't matter we're not of school now," Ron pointed out.

"Oh yeah," Harry grinned.

Hermione hit them both on the head.

**what with all the last-minute Quidditch practice Wood was making them do. She had also tent him Quidditch Through the Ages, which turned out to be a very interesting read.**

"It is very interesting to learn about where Quidditch came from," young James said.

"Is that what it talks about? I've never read it," young Lily said.

"Yeah and the different teams. It's a good read," young James answered when he got over his shock.

**Harry learned that there were seven hundred ways of committing a Quidditch foul and that all of them had happened during a World Cup match in 1473;**

"That would have been a great match to see," older James said in longing.

"It really would," older Sirius agreed.

"I wouldn't want to see it. I would want to be in it," Fred said.

"Me too," Harry said.

** that Seekers were usually the smallest and fastest players, and that most serious Quidditch accidents seemed to happen to them; that although people rarely died playing Quidditch, referees had been known to vanish and turn up months later in the Sahara Desert.**

"What causes that?" Tonks asked.

"Nobody had ever been able to figure that out," Dumbledore replied.

"It's probably a wrupple-horned monkey. They think it's funny to kidnap people," Luna commented.

"I'm sure somebody will start looking into that," Ginny answered kindly.

"They never hurt them though. They are very kind creatures," Luna explained.

"I'm sure they are," older Remus smiled.

**Hermione had become a bit more relaxed about breaking rules since Harry and Ron had saved her from the mountain troll, and she was much nicer for it.**

Hermione smiled sheepishly.

** The day before Harry's first Quidditch match the three of them were out in the freezing courtyard during break, and she had conjured them up a bright blue fire that could be carried around in a jam jar. They were standing with their backs to it, getting warm, when Snape crossed the yard. Harry noticed at once that Snape was limping. Harry, Ron, and Hermione moved closer together to block the fire from view; they were sure it wouldn't be allowed. Unfortunately, something about their guilty faces caught Snape's eye. He limped over. He hadn't seen the fire, but he seemed to be looking for a reason to tell them off anyway.**

**"What's that you've got there, Potter?"**

**It was Quidditch Through the Ages. Harry showed him.**

**"Library books are not to be taken outside the school," said Snape. "Give it to me. Five points from Gryffindor."**

"That's not even a rule!" older Lily cried,

Older Snape winced.

"That's unfair!" Alice added.

**"He's just made that rule up," Harry muttered angrily as Snape limped away. "Wonder what's wrong with his leg?"**

**"Dunno, but I hope it's really hurting him," said Ron bitterly.**

"RONALD!" Mrs. Weasley shrieked.

"He wasn't being fair!" Ron defended.

"I don't care! Never wish bad things on somebody!" Mrs. Weasley yelled.

**The Gryffindor common room was very noisy that evening. Harry, Ron, and Hermione sat together next to a window. Hermione was checking Harry and Ron's Charms homework for them. She would never let them copy ("How will you learn?"), but by asking her to read it through, they got the right answers anyway.**

Hermione hit them both upside the head.

**Harry felt restless. He wanted Quidditch Through the Ages back, to take his mind off his nerves about tomorrow. Why should he be afraid of Snape?**

"Lots of reasons," Neville mumbled.

** Getting up, he told Ron and Hermione he was going to ask Snape if he could have it.**

**"Better you than me," they said together,**

"Nice support system," older Sirius said, looking at the two.

"Snape can be very nasty at times," Hermione defended.

"Uh huh," older Sirius said.

Ron and Hermione blushed.

** but Harry had an idea that Snape wouldn't refuse if there were other teachers listening.**

"Good thinking," older James said.

**He made his way down to the staffroom and knocked. There was no answer. He knocked again. Nothing.**

**Perhaps Snape had left the book in there? It was worth a try. He pushed the door ajar and peered inside - and a horrible scene met his eyes.**

"What?" older Lily asked urgently.

"Is it dangerous?" Fleur asked.

"That depends are your definition of dangerous," Harry replied.

**Snape and Filch were inside, alone.**

The hall went silent.

"That is very dangerous," young James said.

Everyone burst out laughing.

** Snape was holding his robes above his knees. **

"CLOSE YOUR EYES AND RUN HARRY!" Fred yelled.

Some people laughed.

"This is not a laughing matter! My poor godson's eyes!" older Sirius cried.

"Harry?" Justin asked calmly.

"Yes?" Harry said.

"WHY MUST YOU PUT SUCH TERRIBLE IMAGES IN MY BEAUTIFUL INNOCENT MIND!?" Justin shouted.

Everyone laughed some more.

It took awhile for everyone to calm down.

"You know Professor, you shouldn't have hide it. Everyone has the right to love whomever they want," Luna said seriously.

That set everyone off again.

"Now Severus, you should know I don't judge you for this," Regulus said to young Severus.

"I'm not like that!" Severus said through gritted teeth.

"Sure," Regulus said unconvincingly.

"SILENCE! FINNIGAN KEEP READING!" older Snape yelled.

Seamus obeyed.

**One of his legs was bloody and mangled. Filch was handing Snape bandages.**

"It's only a cover," young Sirius whispered for the room to hear.

This made everyone laugh again.

**"Blasted thing," Snape was saying. "How are you supposed to keep your eyes on all three heads at once?"**

"What were you doing near that thing?" older Lily asked.

"My job," older Snape replied.

"That's what you said last time," older Lily replied coldly.

Older Snape sighed.

**Harry tried to shut the door quietly, but -**

**"POTTER!"**

"Worth trying," older James muttered.

**Snape's face was twisted with fury as he dropped his robes quickly to hide his leg. Harry gulped.**

**"I just wondered if I could have my book back."**

"Now, that's brave," Susan said.

"He is a Gryffindor," older James said proudly.

**"GET OUT! OUT!"**

"Oh well, you tried," older Sirius said.

**Harry left, before Snape could take any more points from Gryffindor. He sprinted back upstairs.**

**"Did you get it?" Ron asked as Harry joined them. "What's the matter?"**

**In a low whisper, Harry told them what he'd seen.**

"The Filch/Snape relationship or the bleeding leg?" young Remus asked.

"The bleeding leg. I thought I would spare them the terrible details," Harry answered in mock seriousness.

"Thank Merlin you did," Ron said.

"WILL YOU GET OVER IT ALREADY?!" older Snape yelled.

Everyone looked at each other then they all said, "Nah."

Both Snapes groaned.

**"You know what this means?" he finished breathlessly. "He tried to get past that three-headed dog at Halloween! That's where he was going when we saw him - he's after whatever it's guarding! And Id bet my broomstick he let that troll in, to make a diversion!"**

"Good thing nobody took that bet," Harry whispered to Ron and Hermione.

**Hermione's eyes were wide.**

**"No - he wouldn't, she said. "I know he's not very nice, but he wouldn't try and steal something Dumbledore was keeping safe."**

"I wouldn't put it past him," young Sirius snapped.

**"Honestly, Hermione, you think all teachers are saints or something," snapped Ron. "I'm with Harry. I wouldn't put anything past Snape. But what's he after? What's that dog guarding?"**

**Harry went to bed with his head buzzing with the same question. Neville was snoring loudly, but Harry couldn't sleep. He tried to empty his mind - he needed to sleep, he had to, he had his first Quidditch match in a few hours - but the expression on Snape's face when Harry had seen his leg wasn't easy to forget.**

"Don't worry about Snape! He's not important! Focus on Quidditch!" older James urged.

"You do realize that my younger self can't hear you," Harry pointed out to laughter.

Older James blushed.

**The next morning dawned very bright and cold. The Great Hall was full of the delicious smell of fried sausages and the cheer ful chatter of everyone looking forward to a good Quidditch match.**

**"You've got to eat some breakfast."**

**"I don't want anything."**

"Harry, dear, you'll need your strength," Mrs. Weasley said.

Ron and the twins rolled their eyes.

**"Just a bit of toast," wheedled Hermione.**

**"I'm not hungry."**

**Harry felt terrible. In an hour's time he'd be walking onto the field.**

**"Harry, you need your strength," said Seamus Finnigan. "Seekers are always the ones who get clobbered by the other team."**

"That really made me feel better," Harry said sarcastically.

"Sorry," Seamus shrugged.

**"Thanks, Seamus," said Harry, watching Seamus pile ketchup on his sausages.**

**By eleven o'clock the whole school seemed to be out in the stands around the Quidditch pitch. Many students had binoculars. The seats might be raised high in the air, but it was still difficult to see what was going on sometimes.**

**Ron and Hermione joined Neville, Seamus, and Dean the West Ham fan**

"When will you get over that?" Dean asked.

"I didn't write it," Harry replied.

** up in the top row. As a surprise for Harry, they had painted a large banner on one of the sheets Scabbers had ruined. It said Potter for President, and Dean, who was good at drawing, had done a large Gryffindor lion underneath. Then Hermione had performed a tricky little charm so that the paint flashed different colors.**

"I never did thank you for that," Harry smiled.

"After what happened who can blame you," Neville said.

"What happened?" older Lily asked urgently.

"Hurry up and finish Seamus, I want lunch," Harry said loudly.

Ron chuckled.

**Meanwhile, in the locker room, Harry and the rest of the team were changing into their scarlet Quidditch robes (Slytherin would be playing in green).**

**Wood cleared his throat for silence.**

"Okay, men and women," Fred said.

**"Okay, men," he said.**

**"And women," said Chaser Angelina Johnson.**

"This is it," George said.

**"And women," Wood agreed. "This is it."**

"The big one," Angelina said dully.

**"The big one," said Fred Weasley.**

"The one we've all been waiting for," Harry said.

**"The one we've all been waiting for," said George.**

"Does anyone else get the feeling that Oliver uses the same speech for every game?" young James asked.

Oliver blushed.

**"We know Oliver's speech by heart," Fred told Harry, "we were on the team last year."**

**"Shut up, you two," said Wood. "This is the best team Gryffindor's had in years. We're going to win. I know it."**

**He glared at them all as if to say, "Or else."**

Older Sirius snorted, "Who does that remind you of?"

"Shut up," older James replied.

**"Right. It's time. Good luck, all of you."**

**Harry followed Fred and George out of the locker room and, hoping his knees weren't going to give way, walked onto the field to loud cheers.**

**Madam Hooch was refereeing. She stood in the middle of the field waiting for the two teams, her broom in her hand.**

**"Now, I want a nice fair game, all of you,"**

"It's Slytherin vs Gryffindor. It's never a nice fair anything," Regulus snorted.

** she said, once they were all gathered around her. Harry noticed that she seemed to be speaking particularly to the Slytherin Captain, Marcus Flint, a sixth year. Harry thought Flint looked as if he had some troll blood in him. Out of the corner of his eye he saw the fluttering banner high above, flashing Potter for President over the crowd. His heart skipped. He felt braver.**

His friends smiled at him.

**"Mount your brooms, please."**

**Harry clambered onto his Nimbus Two Thousand.**

**Madam Hooch gave a loud blast on her silver whistle.**

**Fifteen brooms rose up, high, high into the air. They were off. "And the Quaffle is taken immediately by Angelina Johnson of Gryffindor - what an excellent Chaser that girl is, and rather attractive, too -"**

The Marauders started laughing.

**"JORDAN!"**

"Awww, Minnie, must you take the fun out of everything?" young Sirius whined.

"Don't call me Minnie!" she snapped.

**"Sorry, Professor."**

**The Weasley twins' friend, Lee Jordan, was doing the commentary for the match, closely watched by Professor McGonagall.**

**"And she's really belting along up there, a neat pass to Alicia Spinnet, a good find of Oliver Wood's, last year only a reserve - back to Johnson and - no, the Slytherins have taken the Quaffle, Slytherin Captain Marcus Flint gains the Quaffle and off he goes - Flint flying like an eagle up there - he's going to sc- no, stopped by an excellent move by Gryffindor Keeper Wood and the Gryffindors take the Quaffle - that's Chaser Katie Bell of Gryffindor there, nice dive around Flint, off up the field and - OUCH - that must have hurt, hit in the back of the head by a Bludger - Quaffle taken by the Slytherins - that's Adrian Pucey speeding off toward the goal posts, but he's blocked by a second Bludger - sent his way by Fred or George Weasley, can't tell which - nice play by the Gryffindor Beater, anyway, and Johnson back in possession of the Quaffle, a clear field ahead and off she goes - she's really flying - dodges a speeding Bludger - the goal posts are ahead - come on, now, Angelina - Keeper Bletchley dives - misses - GRYFFINDORS SCORE!"**

The room was filled with cheers.

**Gryffindor cheers filled the cold air, with howls and moans from the Slytherins.**

**"Budge up there, move along."**

**"Hagrid!"**

**Ron and Hermione squeezed together to give Hagrid enough space to join them.**

**"Bin watchin' from me hut," said Hagrid, patting a large pair of binoculars around his neck, "But it isn't the same as bein' in the crowd. No sign of the Snitch yet, eh?"**

**"Nope," said Ron. "Harry hasn't had much to do yet."**

**"Kept outta trouble, though, that's somethin'," said Hagrid, raising his binoculars and peering skyward at the speck that was Harry.**

**Way up above them, Harry was gliding over the game, squinting about for some sign of the Snitch. This was part of his and Wood's game plan.**

**"Keep out of the way until you catch sight of the Snitch," Wood had said. "We don't want you attacked before you have to be."**

**When Angelina had scored, Harry had done a couple of loop-the-loops to let off his feelings. Now he was back to staring around for the Snitch. Once he caught sight of a flash of gold, but it was just a reflection from one of the Weasleys' wristwatches, and once a Bludger decided to come pelting his way, more like a cannonball than anything, but Harry dodged it and Fred Weasley came chasing after it.**

**"All right there, Harry?" he had time to yell, as he beat the Bludger furiously toward Marcus Flint.**

**"Slytherin in possession," Lee Jordan was saying, "Chaser Pucey ducks two Bludgers, two Weasleys, and Chaser Bell, and speeds toward the - wait a moment - was that the Snitch?"**

**A murmur ran through the crowd as Adrian Pucey dropped the Quaffle, too busy looking over his shoulder at the flash of gold that had passed his left ear.**

**Harry saw it. In a great rush of excitement he dived downward after the streak of gold.**

"GO HARRY!" older Lily cheered.

Harry blushed.

** Slytherin Seeker Terence Higgs had seen it, too. Neck and neck they hurtled toward the Snitch -all the Chasers seemed to have forgotten what they were supposed to be doing as they hung in midair to watch.**

**Harry was faster than Higgs - he could see the little round ball, wings fluttering, darting up ahead - - he put on an extra spurt of speed -**

**WHAM! A roar of rage echoed from the Gryffindors below - Marcus Flint had blocked Harry on purpose, and Harry's broom spun off course, Harry holding on for dear life.**

"Are you okay?" young Lily asked.

"Yeah," Harry answered cautiously.

**"Foul!" screamed the Gryffindors.**

**Madam Hooch spoke angrily to Flint and then ordered a free shot at the goal posts for Gryffindor. But in all the confusion, of course, the Golden Snitch had disappeared from sight again.**

**Down in the stands, Dean Thomas was yelling, "Send him off, ref! Red card!"**

**"What are you talking about, Dean?" said Ron.**

**"Red card!" said Dean furiously. "In soccer you get shown the red card and you're out of the game!"**

"That's not how Quidditch works," young James shook his head.

**"But this isn't soccer, Dean," Ron reminded him.**

**Hagrid, however, was on Dean's side.**

**"They oughta change the rules. Flint coulda knocked Harry outta the air."**

"Exactly," older Lily agreed.

**Lee Jordan was finding it difficult not to take sides.**

**"So - after that obvious and disgusting bit of cheating**

"Brilliant," young Sirius laughed.

**"Jordan!" growled Professor McGonagall.**

**"I mean, after that open and revolting foul**

"I love this guy," young James said.

"Sorry, I don't swing that way," Lee told him.

Young James looked disgusted and young Lily started laughing.

"Shut up," he snapped.

Young Lily glared at him, "I was going to try to be nice to you, but now I guess not."

Young James sighed.

**'Jordan, I'm warning you -"**

**"All right, all right. Flint nearly kills the Gryffindor Seeker, which could happen to anyone, I'm sure, so a penalty to Gryffindor, taken by Spinner, who puts it away, no trouble, and we continue play, Gryffindor still in possession."**

**It was as Harry dodged another Bludger, which went spinning dangerously past his head, that it happened. His broom gave a sudden, frightening lurch. **

"What's happening?" older James asked.

**For a split second, he thought he was going to fall. He gripped the broom tightly with both his hands and knees. He'd never felt anything like that.**

"That's not good," older Remus began muttering over and over.

**It happened again. It was as though the broom was trying to buck him off.**

"Somebody get him off that thing!" older Lily cried.

** But Nimbus Two Thousands did not suddenly decide to buck their riders off. Harry tried to turn back toward the Gryffindor goal- posts - he had half a mind to ask Wood to call time-out - and then he realized that his broom was completely out of his control.**

"Oh no," Mrs. Weasley gasped.

** He couldn't turn it. He couldn't direct it at all. It was zigzagging through the air, and every now and then making violent swishing movements that almost unseated him.**

"Why isn't anyone doing anything?" older Sirius shouted.

**Lee was still commentating.**

**"Slytherin in possession - Flint with the Quaffle - passes Spinnet - passes Bell - hit hard in the face by a Bludger, hope it broke his nose - only joking, Professor - Slytherins score - A no...**

**The Slytherins were cheering. No one seemed to have noticed that Harry's broom was behaving strangely. It was carrying- him slowly higher, away from the game, jerking and twitching as it went.**

Ginny was very pale. Harry is just a few seats down she told herself.

**"Dunno what Harry thinks he's doing," Hagrid mumbled. He stared through his binoculars. "If I didn' know better, I'd say he'd lost control of his broom... but he can't have..."**

"But he did," Alice said.

**Suddenly, people were pointing up at Harry all over the stands. His broom had started to roll over and over, **

Ginny got up and walked to where Harry was sitting. Harry hugged her.

"I'm fine," he whispered.

She just nodded as she pulled back.

**with him only just managing to hold on. Then the whole crowd gasped. Harry's broom had given a wild jerk and Harry swung off it.**

"NO!" older Lily screamed.

She moved away from her seat between older James and older Sirius to sit beside her son. She brought him as close to her as she could.

** He was now dangling from it, holding on with only one hand.**

"He's going to fall!" Tonks exclaimed.

Older Remus hugged her, worrying about the boy that was like a son to him.

**"Did something happen to it when Flint blocked him?" Seamus whispered.**

**"Can't have," Hagrid said, his voice shaking. "Can't nothing interfere with a broomstick except powerful Dark magic - no kid could do that to a Nimbus Two Thousand."**

**At these words, Hermione seized Hagrid's binoculars, but instead of looking up at Harry, she started looking frantically at the crowd.**

**"What are you doing?" moaned Ron, gray-faced.**

**"I knew it," Hermione gasped, "Snape - look."**

Older Lily jumped up, "HOW DARE YOU! I DON'T CARE WHO YOU ARE! YOU DON'T MESS WITH MY SON!" Older Lily took out her wand and threw older Snape against the wall.

"Mum," Harry said.

Older Lily looked at her son.

"Sit down. The book will explain everything," Harry said.

Older Lily did as her son said.

**Ron grabbed the binoculars. Snape was in the middle of the stands opposite them. He had his eyes fixed on Harry and was muttering nonstop under his breath.**

The older Marauders growled.

**"He's doing something - jinxing the broom," said Hermione.**

"Bastard," Mr. Weasley muttered.

Mrs. Weasley didn't even bother to scold him.

**"What should we do?"**

**"Leave it to me."**

**Before Ron could say another word, Hermione had disappeared. Ron turned the binoculars back on Harry. His broom was vibrating so hard, it was almost impossible for him to hang on much longer. The whole crowd was on its feet, watching, terrified, as the Weasleys flew up to try and pull Harry safely onto one of their brooms, but it was no good - every time they got near him, the broom would jump higher still. They dropped lower and circled beneath him, obviously hoping to catch him if he fell.**

"Thank-you," older James sighed.

"No biggie," George shrugged.

"Harry's are little brother," Fred added.

Harry closed his eyes at what Fred said. The pain of the expulsion came flooding back.

** Marcus**

**Flint seized the Quaffle and scored five times without anyone noticing.**

"Doesn't count if nobody sees stupid," Regulus muttered.

**"Come on, Hermione," Ron muttered desperately.**

**Hermione had fought her way across to the stand where Snape stood, and was now racing along the row behind him; she didn't even stop to say sorry as she knocked Professor Quirrell headfirst into the row in front. Reaching Snape, she crouched down, pulled out her wand, and whispered a few, well- chosen words. Bright blue flames shot from her wand onto the hem of Snape's robes.**

"Brave girl," young Remus said.

**It took perhaps thirty seconds for Snape to realize that he was on fire. A sudden yelp told her she had done her job. Scooping the fire off him into a little jar in her pocket, she scrambled back along the row - Snape would never know what had happened.**

"YOU SET ME ON FIRE!" older Snape yelled.

"Sorry," Hermione mumbled.

"You can't blame her! You were attacking Harry!" Hannah shouted.

"I wasn't" Snape replied.

"Yes you were!" Ernie yelled.

"Stop it! The books will explain everything!" Harry shouted.

Seamus went on.

**It was enough. Up in the air, Harry was suddenly able to clamber back on to his broom.**

**"Neville, you can look!" Ron said. Neville had been sobbing into Hagrid's jacket for the last five minutes.**

Neville went brick red.

"Aww," Alice cooed.

"Not helping dear," Frank whispered.

**Harry was speeding toward the ground when the crowd saw him clap his hand to his mouth as though he was about to be sick - he hit the field on all fours - coughed - and something gold fell into his hand.**

"I DON'T BELIEF IT!" young James started doing a victory dance.

"You should be more happy that he's okay!" young Lily snapped.

"But he also won the game so I'm celebrating!" young James said.

"UGH!" young Lily screamed.

"I really don't miss the two of you fighting all the time when we were younger," older Remus said.

"We don't either," older Lily and James said.

**"I've got the Snitch!" he shouted, waving it above his head, and the game ended in complete confusion.**

**"He didn't catch it, he nearly swallowed it," Flint was still howling twenty minutes later, but it made no difference - Harry hadn't broken any rules and Lee Jordan was still happily shouting the results - Gryffindor had won by one hundred and seventy points to sixty. Harry heard none of this, though. He was being made a cup of strong tea back in Hagrid's hut, with Ron and Hermione.**

**"It was Snape," Ron was explaining, "Hermione and I saw him. He was cursing your broomstick, muttering, he wouldn't take his eyes off you."**

**"Rubbish," said Hagrid, who hadn't heard a word of what had gone on next to him in the stands. "Why would Snape do somethin' like that?"**

**Harry, Ron, and Hermione looked at one another, wondering what to tell him. Harry decided on the truth.**

**"I found out something about him," he told Hagrid. "He tried to get past that three-headed dog on Halloween. It bit him. We think he was trying to steal whatever it's guarding."**

**Hagrid dropped the teapot.**

**"How do you know about Fluffy?" he said.**

"That thing has a name?" Alice gasped.

"Fluffy?" Ginny muttered.

"It's the ones with the cute names you have to watch out for," Harry whispered.

Ron and Hermione nodded beside him.

**"Fluffy?"**

**"Yeah - he's mine - bought him off a Greek chappie I met in the pub las' year - I lent him to Dumbledore to guard the-**

"HAGRID!" older Lily, James, Snape, Remus, Sirius, McGonagall, Mrs. Weasley and Mr. Weasley cried.

Hagrid shrugged sheepishly.

**"Yes?" said Harry eagerly.**

**"Now, don't ask me anymore," said Hagrid gruffly. "That's top secret, that is."**

"Your making it worse," older Snape snapped.

**"But Snape's trying to steal it."**

**"Rubbish," said Hagrid again. "Snape's a Hogwarts teacher, he'd do nothin' of the sort."**

"So was Quirrell," Hermione whispered to Ron.

He nodded.

**"So why did he just try and kill Harry?" cried Hermione.**

**The afternoon's events certainly seemed to have changed her mind about Snape.**

**I know a jinx when I see one, Hagrid, I've read all about them!**

**You've got to keep eye contact, and Snape wasn't blinking at all, I saw him!"**

"Same can be said about counter-jinxes," Snape pointed out.

Hermione smiled sheepishly.

**"I'm tellin' yeh, yer wrong!" said Hagrid hotly. "I don' know why Harry's broom acted like that, but Snape wouldn' try an' kill a student! Now, listen to me, all three of yeh - yer meddlin' in things that don' concern yeh. It's dangerous. You forget that dog, an' you forget what it's guardin', that's between Professor Dumbledore an' Nicolas Flamel -"**

All the adults groaned.

"Sorry," Hagrid said.

**"Aha!" said Harry, "so there's someone called Nicolas Flamel involved, is there?"**

**Hagrid looked furious with himself.**

"I was," Hagrid said.

"That was the end. Now let's eat!" Seamus said.

Many of the men nodded in agreement.

_AN: This is my favorite chapter so far. Thanks for all the support, reviews, followers, and favorites. Also, I just want to say that in this Harry, Ron, and Hermione are ages 17 and 18. They are legally adults, so they can't really be punished by their parents or anything. So, for those of you wanting that, I'm sorry, but that's not going to happen._

_~ Pottergirl3333_


	13. The Mirror of Erised

_Disclaimer: Yeah, I still don't own Harry Potter._

As soon as lunch was over and everyone had settled down again, McGonagall picked up the book and started reading.

**THE MIRROR OF ERISED**

**Christmas was coming. One morning in mid-December, Hogwarts woke to find itself covered in several feet of snow. The lake froze solid and the Weasley twins were punished for bewitching several snowballs so that they followed Quirrell around,**

"I can't believe it," Hermione gasped.

"What?" Alice asked.

"They were hitting-nevermind," Ron replied.

"It's a miracle the he didn't come kill them in their sleep since he came back," Harry whispered to Ron and Hermione.

"I know," Hermione nodded.

"Does anybody else feel like they're missing something?" Regulus asked.

"We all feel like we're missing something idiot," young Sirius snarled.

"Black! Be nicer to people!" young Lily snapped.

"Lay off him. You don't know the full story," young James said.

"I don't what the full story is! You two have to learn to be nice to people you don't like!" young Lily yelled.

"How about taking your own advice? Your always mean to people you don't like," young Sirius pointed out.

"That's not true! Last chapter I was nice, until Potter started being rude again!" young Lily defended.

"Once again everything is my fault! Can somebody explain how to me?" young James replied.

"I bet you can't go one chapter without saying something insulting!" young Lily challenged.

"I bet the two of you can't go the rest of the book without talking!" young Remus snapped.

"Yes I can, but she can't," young James said.

"Your the one that can't go without talking," young Lily said.

"Then let's see who can, so the rest of us can get a break from you two fighting!" young Remus shouted.

"Fine!" young Lily and James said.

"Starting now neither of you are allowed to talk. If you do, you get kicked out of the room for the rest of the book," young Remus explained.

Young Lily and James nodded.

"Maybe that will keep them quiet for awhile," young Remus muttered to young Sirius.

"I hope so. They were starting to give me a headache," young Sirius whispered.

"It's probably because they are being forced to be around each other more than they are used to," young Remus said.

"If you say so," young Sirius shrugged.

** bouncing off the back of his turban. The few owls that managed to battle their way through the stormy sky to deliver mail had to be nursed back to health by Hagrid before they could fly off again.**

**No one could wait for the holidays to start. While the Gryffindor common room and the Great Hall had roaring fires, the drafty corridors had become icy and a bitter wind rattled the windows in the classrooms. Worst of all were Professor Snape's classes down in the dungeons, where their breath rose in a mist before them and they kept as close as possible to their hot cauldrons.**

**"I do feel so sorry," said Draco Malfoy, one Potions class, "for all those people who have to stay at Hogwarts for Christmas because they're not wanted at home."**

"Git," Fred said.

"Ugly git," George said.

"Stupid ugly git," Fred said.

"Useless stupid ugly git," George said.

"Are you finished?" McGonagall asked.

The twins looked at each other than nodded.

McGonagall started reading again.

**He was looking over at Harry as he spoke. Crabbe and Goyle chuckled. Harry, who was measuring out powdered spine of lionfish, ignored them. Malfoy had been even more unpleasant than usual since the Quidditch match. Disgusted that the Slytherins had lost, he had tried to get everyone laughing at how a wide-mouthed tree frog would be replacing Harry as Seeker next. Then he'd realized that nobody found this funny, because they were all so impressed at the way Harry had managed to stay on his bucking broomstick. So Malfoy, jealous and angry, had gone back to taunting Harry about having no proper family.**

"I should-" older James began, but stopped when his wife put a hand on his shoulder, shaking her head.

**It was true that Harry wasn't going back to Privet Drive for Christmas. Professor McGonagall had come around the week before, making a list of students who would be staying for the holidays, and Harry had signed up at once. He didn't feel sorry for himself at all; this would probably be the best Christmas he'd ever had. Ron and his brothers were staying, too, because Mr. and Mrs. Weasley were going to Romania to visit Charlie.**

**When they left the dungeons at the end of Potions, they found a large fir tree blocking the corridor ahead. Two enormous feet sticking out at the bottom and a loud puffing sound told them that Hagrid was behind it.**

**"Hi, Hagrid, want any help?" Ron asked, sticking his head through the branches.**

"What were you going to do?" Charlie asked.

Ron blushed, "I was just being nice."

The twins, Charlie, and Bill started snickering.

"Don't laugh at him! It was a very nice thing to do Ron," Mrs. Weasley said.

Ron went redder.

**"Nah, I'm all right, thanks, Ron."**

**"Would you mind moving out of the way?" came Malfoys cold drawl from behind them. "Are you trying to earn some extra money, Weasley? Hoping to be gamekeeper yourself when you leave Hogwarts, I suppose - that hut of Hagrid's must seem like a palace compared to what your family's used to."**

There were growls across the room.

**Ron dived at Malfoy just as Snape came up the stairs.**

**"WEASLEY!"**

"Just great," older Sirius muttered.

**Ron let go of the front of Malfoy's robes.**

**"He was provoked, Professor Snape," said Hagrid, sticking his huge hairy face out from behind the tree. "Malfoy was insultin' his family."**

**"Be that as it may, fighting is against Hogwarts rules, Hagrid," said Snape silkily. "Five points from Gryffindor, Weasley, and be grateful it isn't more. Move along, all of you."**

"That's not fair! Malfoy should have gotten points taken away for bullying!" older Lily cried.

Snape looked anywhere but at his former friend.

**Malfoy, Crabbe, and Goyle pushed roughly past the tree, scattering needles everywhere and smirking.**

**"I'll get him," said Ron, grinding his teeth at Malfoy's back, "one of these days, I'll get him -"**

"Did you?" young Sirius asked eagerly.

"Maybe," Ron smiled.

"Bet you a gallon he did," young Sirius offered young Remus.

"Out of the whole series I'm betting he probably did, so no I'm not taking that bet," young Remus answered.

Young Sirius began pouting.

**"I hate them both," said Harry, "Malfoy and Snape."**

"That's my boy," older James said proudly.

Older Lily glared at her husband, while Harry smiled.

**"Come on, cheer up, it's nearly Christmas," said Hagrid. "Tell yeh what, come with me an' see the Great Hall, looks a treat."**

**So the three of them followed Hagrid and his tree off to -the Great Hall, where Professor McGonagall and Professor Flitwick were busy with the Christmas decorations.**

**"Ah, Hagrid, the last tree - put it in the far corner, would you?"**

**The hall looked spectacular. Festoons of holly and mistletoe hung all around the walls, and no less than twelve towering Christmas trees stood around the room, some sparkling with tiny icicles, some glittering with hundreds of candles.**

"It's always so beautiful," Padma said.

**"How many days you got left until yer holidays?" Hagrid asked.**

**"Just one," said Hermione. "And that reminds me -Harry, Ron, we've got half an hour before lunch, we should be in the library."**

**"Oh yeah, you're right," said Ron, tearing his eyes away from Professor Flitwick, who had golden bubbles blossoming out of his wand and was trailing them over the branches of the new tree.**

"It is very interesting to watch them decorate," Luna commented.

**"The library?" said Hagrid, following them out of the hall. "Just before the holidays? Bit keen, aren't yeh?"**

**"Oh, we're not working," Harry told him brightly. "Ever since you mentioned Nicolas Flamel we've been trying to find out who he is."**

"Of course you are," older Remus sighed.

"Can't blame them, I would be looking for it too," Tonks said.

Older Remus glared at her.

"And you would too, if it was you," Tonks reminded him.

"I hate it when you're right sometimes," older Remus replied.

Tonks snorted.

**"You what?" Hagrid looked shocked. "Listen here - I've told yeh - drop it. It's nothin' to you what that dog's guardin'."**

**"We just want to know who Nicolas Flamel is, that's all," said Hermione.**

**"Unless you'd like to tell us and save us the trouble?" Harry added. "We must've been through hundreds of books already and we can't find him anywhere - just give us a hint - I know I've read his name somewhere."**

"I think I've heard it before too," Terry muttered.

**"I'm sayin' nothin, said Hagrid flatly.**

**"Just have to find out for ourselves, then," said Ron, and they left Hagrid looking disgruntled and hurried off to the library.**

"You three are really something," Neville said shaking his head.

"Just figuring that out?" Dean asked.

"Now just reminding everyone," Neville said.

"We don't need reminding about that," Seamus told him.

Neville stuck his tongue out at the two.

They just grinned at him.

**They had indeed been searching books for Flamel's name ever since Hagrid had let it slip, because how else were they going to find out what Snape was trying to steal? The trouble was, it was very hard to know where to begin, not knowing what Flamel might have done to get himself into a book. He wasn't in Great Wizards of the Twentieth Century, or Notable Magical Names of Our Time; he was missing, too, from Important Modern Magical Discoveries, and A Study of Recent Developments in Wizardry. And then, of course, there was the sheer size of the library; tens of thousands of books; thousands of shelves; hundreds of narrow rows.**

**Hermione took out a list of subjects and titles she had decided to search while Ron strode off down a row of books and started pulling them off the shelves at random.**

"Good place to start if you don't know what you are looking for," Moody muttered.

Ron looked very happy.

** Harry wandered over to the Restricted Section. He had been wondering for a while if Flamel wasn't somewhere in there. Unfortunately, you needed a specially signed note from one of the teachers to look in any of the restricted books, and he knew he'd never get one. These were the books containing powerful Dark Magic never taught at Hogwarts, and only read by older students studying advanced Defense Against the Dark Arts.**

**"What are you looking for, boy?"**

**"Nothing," said Harry.**

**Madam Pince the librarian brandished a feather duster at him.**

"Yeah, that'll teach him not to mess you," older Sirius laughed.

**"You'd better get out, then. Go on - out!"**

**Wishing he'd been a bit quicker at thinking up some story, Harry left the library. He, Ron, and Hermione had already agreed they'd better not ask Madam Pince where they could find Flamel. They were sure she'd be able to tell them, but they couldn't risk Snape hearing what they were up to.**

"Not him we should have been worrying about," Harry mumbled.

"What did you say?" Ginny asked suspiciously.

"Nothing," Harry said quickly.

"Alright, I'll go so you three can whisper about all the stuff you want to go back and change," Ginny said, getting up to move beside Luna.

**Harry waited outside in the corridor to see if the other two had found anything, but he wasn't very hopeful. They had been looking for two weeks, after all, but as they only had odd moments between lessons it wasn't surprising they'd found nothing. What they really needed was a nice long search without Madam Pince breathing down their necks.**

"Or some chocolate frogs," Hermione whispered, causing Ron and Harry to laugh.

**Five minutes later, Ron and Hermione joined him, shaking their heads. They went off to lunch.**

**"You will keep looking while I'm away, won't you?" said Hermione. "And send me an owl if you find anything."**

**"And you could ask your parents if they know who Flamel is," said Ron. "It'd be safe to ask them."**

**"Very safe, as they're both dentists," said Hermione.**

"What's a dentist?" Micheal asked.

"They work on people's teeth," Hermione explained.

Harry snorted at the looks she got from people.

**Once the holidays had started, Ron and Harry were having too good a time to think much about Flamel.**

"Focus on your mission," Moody grunted.

** They had the dormitory to themselves and the common room was far emptier than usual, so they were able to get the good armchairs by the fire. They sat by the hour eating anything they could spear on a toasting fork - bread, English muffins, marshmallows - and plotting ways of getting Malfoy expelled, which were fun to talk about even if they wouldn't work.**

**Ron also started teaching Harry wizard chess. This was exactly like Muggle chess except that the figures were alive, which made it a lot like directing troops in battle. Ron's set was very old and battered. Like everything else he owned, it had once belonged to someone else in his family - in this case, his grandfather. However, old chessmen weren't a drawback at all. Ron knew them so well he never had trouble getting them to do what he wanted.**

**Harry played with chessmen Seamus Finnigan had lent him, and they didn't trust him at all. He wasn't a very good player yet and they kept shouting different bits of advice at him, which was confusing. "Don't send me there, can't you see his knight? Send him, we can afford to lose him." On Christmas Eve, Harry went to bed looking forward to the next day for the food and the fun, but not expecting any presents at all. When he woke early in the morning, however, the first thing he saw was a small pile of packages at the foot of his bed.**

**"Merry Christmas," said Ron sleepily as Harry scrambled out of bed and pulled on his bathrobe.**

**"You, too," said Harry. "Will you look at this? I've got some presents!"**

**"What did you expect, turnips?" said Ron, turning to his own pile, which was a lot bigger than Harry's.**

**Harry picked up the top parcel. It was wrapped in thick brown paper and scrawled across it was To Harry, from Hagrid. Inside was a roughly cut wooden flute. Hagrid had obviously whittled it himself. Harry blew it - it sounded a bit like an owl.**

"Thank-you," older Lily said to the kind man.

"It was nuthin," Hagrid smiled.

**A second, very small parcel contained a note.**

**We received your message and enclose your Christmas present. From Uncle Vernon and Aunt Petunia. Taped to the note was a fifty-pence piece.**

**"That's friendly," said Harry.**

**Ron was fascinated by the fifty pence.**

**"Weird!" he said, "What a shape! This is money?"**

Arthur isn't the only Muggle crazed Weasley," Kingsley teased.

Ron and Arthur shrugged.

**"You can keep it," said Harry, laughing at how pleased Ron was. "Hagrid and my aunt and uncle - so who sent these?"**

**"I think I know who that one's from," said Ron, turning a bit pink and pointing to a very lumpy parcel. "My mom. I told her you didn't expect any presents and - oh, no," he groaned, "she's made you a Weasley sweater."**

"How sweet! Thanks!" older Lily cried.

**Harry had torn open the parcel to find a thick, hand-knitted sweater in emerald green and a large box of homemade fudge.**

**"Every year she makes us a sweater," said Ron, unwrapping his own, "and mine's always maroon."**

**"That's really nice of her," said Harry, trying the fudge, which was very tasty.**

**His next present also contained candy - a large box of Chocolate Frogs from Hermione.**

"Useful those," Harry commented.

"How?" older James asked.

"You'll see," Harry replied.

Older James groaned, "I'm really getting tired of hearing that."

"Sorry, but I'm having too much fun," Harry said.

Older Lily, Remus, and Sirius laughed at older James' face.

**This only left one parcel. Harry picked it up and felt it. It was very light. He unwrapped it.**

**Something fluid and silvery gray went slithering to the floor where it lay in gleaming folds.**

Older James gasped.

** Ron gasped.**

**"I've heard of those," he said in a hushed voice, dropping the box of Every Flavor Beans he'd gotten from Hermione. "If that's what I think it is - they're really rare, and really valuable."**

"And mine's the rarest of the rare," Harry whispered proudly, so only Hermione and Ron could hear.

They smiled at him.

**"What is it?"**

**Harry picked the shining, silvery cloth off the floor. It was strange to the touch, like water woven into material.**

"My invisibility cloak," older James said.

Young James was bouncing in his seat, making hand gestures that nobody could understand.

**"It's an invisibility cloak," said Ron, a look of awe on his face. "I'm sure it is - try it on."**

**Harry threw the cloak around his shoulders and Ron gave a yell.**

**"It is! Look down!"**

**Harry looked down at his feet, but they were gone. He dashed to the mirror. Sure enough, his reflection looked back at him, just his head suspended in midair, his body completely invisible. He pulled the cloak over his head and his reflection vanished completely.**

**"There's a note!" said Ron suddenly. "A note fell out of it!"**

**Harry pulled off the cloak and seized the letter. Written in narrow, loopy writing he had never seen before were the following words: Your father left this in my possession before he died. It is time it was returned to you. Use it well.**

**A Very Merry Christmas to you.**

**There was no signature. Harry stared at the note. Ron was admiring the cloak.**

**"I'd give anything for one of these," he said. "Anything. What's the matter?"**

**"Nothing," said Harry. He felt very strange. Who had sent the cloak? Had it really once belonged to his father?**

"Yeah," older James said sadly. He wanted to give it to Harry himself.

**Before he could say or think anything else, the dormitory door was flung open and Fred and George Weasley bounded in. Harry stuffed the cloak quickly out of sight. He didn't feel like sharing it with anyone else yet.**

Harry looked at the twins apologetically.

"We understand Harry," the said together.

**"Merry Christmas!"**

**"Hey, look - Harry's got a Weasley sweater, too!"**

**Fred and George were wearing blue sweaters, one with a large yellow F on it, the other a G.**

**"Harry's is better than ours, though," said Fred, holding up Harry's sweater. "She obviously makes more of an effort if you're not family."**

Mrs. Weasley blushed.

**"Why aren't you wearing yours, Ron?" George demanded. "Come on, get it on, they're lovely and warm."**

**"I hate maroon," Ron moaned halfheartedly as he pulled it over his head.**

"You do?" Mrs. Weasley asked hurt.

"No, course not. I just like complaining," Ron lied.

Mrs. Weasley looked down shamefully. She could tell he was lying.

**"You haven't got a letter on yours," George observed. "I suppose she thinks you don't forget your name. But we're not stupid - we know we're called Gred and Forge."**

A few people laugh, but many couldn't manage to knowing that joke couldn't be used much longer.

**"What's all this noise?"**

**Percy Weasley stuck his head through the door, looking disapproving. He had clearly gotten halfway through unwrapping his presents as he, too, carried a lumpy sweater over his arm, which Fred seized.**

**"P for prefect!"**

"Or Percy," Susan pointed out.

"I know,"

"But it's more fun-"

"To give him a hard time."

** "Get it on, Percy, come on, we're all wearing ours, even Harry got one."**

**"I - don't - want," said Percy thickly, as the twins forced the sweater over his head, knocking his glasses askew.**

**"And you're not sitting with the prefects today, either," said George. "Christmas is a time for family."**

**They frog-marched Percy from the room, his arms pinned to his side by his sweater.**

Many people laughed.

**Harry had never in all his life had such a Christmas dinner. A hundred fat, roast turkeys; mountains of roast and boiled potatoes; platters of chipolatas; tureens of buttered peas, silver boats of thick, rich gravy and cranberry sauce - and stacks of wizard crackers every few feet along the table.**

"Mmmm, sounds great," Ron drooled.

"We just ate," Hermione cried.

"So," Ron said.

"Hermione, it's Ron, there never is enough food," Harry explained as if he was talking to a three year old.

Hermione hit him.

** These fantastic party favors were nothing like the feeble Muggle ones the Dursleys usually bought, with their little plastic toys and their flimsy paper hats inside. Harry pulled a wizard cracker with Fred and it didn't just bang, it went off with a blast like a cannon and engulfed them all in a cloud of blue smoke, while from the inside exploded a rear admiral's hat and several live, white mice. Up at the High Table, Dumbledore had swapped his pointed wizard's hat for a flowered bonnet,**

Everyone started snickering.

** and was chuckling merrily at a joke Professor Flitwick had just read him.**

**Flaming Christmas puddings followed the turkey. Percy nearly broke his teeth on a silver sickle embedded in his slice. Harry watched Hagrid getting redder and redder in the face as he called for more wine, finally kissing Professor McGonagall on the cheek, who, to Harry's amazement, giggled and blushed, her top hat lopsided.**

**When Harry finally left the table, he was laden down with a stack of things out of the crackers, including a pack of nonexplodable, luminous balloons, a Grow-Your-Own-Warts kit, and his own new wizard chess set. The white mice had disappeared and Harry had a nasty feeling they were going to end up as Mrs. Norris's Christmas dinner.**

**Harry and the Weasleys spent a happy afternoon having a furious snowball fight on the grounds. Then, cold, wet, and gasping for breath, they returned to the fire in the Gryffindor common room, where Harry broke in his new chess set by losing spectacularly to Ron. He suspected he wouldn't have lost so badly if Percy hadn't tried to help him so much.**

Everyone laugh, even Percy though he was a bit red.

**After a meal of turkey sandwiches, crumpets, trifle, and Christmas cake, everyone felt too full and sleepy to do much before bed except sit and watch Percy chase Fred and George all over Gryffindor tower because they'd stolen his prefect badge.**

**It had been Harry's best Christmas day ever. Yet something had been nagging at the back of his mind all day. Not until he climbed into bed was he free to think about it: the invisibility cloak and whoever had sent it.**

**Ron, full of turkey and cake and with nothing mysterious to bother him, fell asleep almost as soon as he'd drawn the curtains of his four-poster. Harry leaned over the side of his own bed and pulled the cloak out from under it.**

**His father's... this had been his father's. He let the material flow over his hands, smoother than silk, light as air. Use it well, the note had said.**

**He had to try it, now. He slipped out of bed and wrapped the cloak around himself. Looking down at his legs, he saw only moonlight and shadows. It was a very funny feeling.**

**Use it well.**

**Suddenly, Harry felt wide-awake. The whole of Hogwarts was open to him in this cloak. Excitement flooded through him as he stood there in the dark and silence. He could go anywhere in this, anywhere, and Filch would never know.**

**Ron grunted in his sleep. Should Harry wake him? Something held him back - his father's cloak - he felt that this time - the first time - he wanted to use it alone.**

"Don't worry Harry. I understand," Ron smiled.

**He crept out of the dormitory, down the stairs, across the common room, and climbed through the portrait hole.**

**"Who's there?" squawked the Fat Lady. Harry said nothing. He walked quickly down the corridor.**

**Where should he go? He stopped, his heart racing, and thought. And then it came to him. The Restricted Section in the library.**

"Out of all the places to go you go to the library?" older Sirius exclaimed.

"I wanted to find out who Flamel was," Harry shrugged.

"Did you?" Katie asked.

"Maybe," Harry replied.

"I'm really getting tired of hearing that," Katie sighed.

"We all are," Alicia agreed.

Harry, Hermione, and Ron smiled.

** He'd be able to read as long as he liked, as long as it took to find out who Flamel was. He set off, drawing the invisibility cloak tight around him as he walked.**

**The library was pitch-black and very eerie. Harry lit a lamp to see his way along the rows of books. The lamp looked as if it was floating along in midair, and even though Harry could feel his arm supporting it, the sight gave him the creeps.**

Severus rolled his eyes.

**The Restricted Section was right at the back of the library. Stepping carefully over the rope that separated these books from the rest of the library, he held up his lamp to read the titles.**

**They didn't tell him much. Their peeling, faded gold letters spelled words in languages Harry couldn't understand. Some had no title at all. One book had a dark stain on it that looked horribly like blood.**

Fleur shuddered.

** The hairs on the back of Harry's neck prickled. Maybe he was imagining it, maybe not, but he thought a faint whispering was coming from the books, as though they knew someone was there who shouldn't be.**

**He had to start somewhere. Setting the lamp down carefully on the floor, he looked along the bottom shelf for an interesting looking book. A large black and silver volume caught his eye. He pulled it out with difficulty, because it was very heavy, and, balancing it on his knee, let it fall open.**

**A piercing, bloodcurdling shriek split the silence - the book was screaming! Harry snapped it shut, but the shriek went on and on, one high, unbroken, earsplitting note. He stumbled backward and knocked over his lamp, which went out at once. Panicking, he heard footsteps coming down the corridor outside - stuffing the shrieking book back on the shelf, he ran for it. He passed Filch in the doorway; Filch's pale, wild eyes looked straight through him, and Harry slipped under Filch's outstretched arm and streaked off up the corridor, the book's shrieks still ringing in his ears.**

**He came to a sudden halt in front of a tall suit of armor. He had been so busy getting away from the library, he hadn't paid attention to where he was going. Perhaps because it was dark, he didn't recognize where he was at all. There was a suit of armor near the kitchens, he knew, but he must be five floors above there.**

**"You asked me to come directly to you, Professor, if anyone was wandering around at night, and somebody's been in the library Restricted Section."**

**Harry felt the blood drain out of his face. Wherever he was, Filch must know a shortcut, because his soft, greasy voice was getting nearer, and to his horror, it was Snape who replied, "The Restricted Section? Well, they can't be far, we'll catch them."**

"Aww, isn't that sweet. Your boyfriend is doing guard duty for you," older Sirius said.

"Then you get to meet up with him for a private meeting later," older James added.

Everyone but the Snapes and young Lily were laughing.

**Harry stood rooted to the spot as Filch and Snape came around the corner ahead. They couldn't see him, of course, but it was a narrow corridor and if they came much nearer they'd knock right into him - the cloak didn't stop him from being solid.**

**He backed away as quietly as he could. A door stood ajar to his left. It was his only hope. He squeezed through it, holding his breath, trying not to move it, and to his relief he managed to get inside the room without their noticing anything. They walked straight past, and Harry leaned against the wall, breathing deeply, listening to their footsteps dying away. That had been close, very close. It was a few seconds before he noticed anything about the room he had hidden in.**

**It looked like an unused classroom. The dark shapes of desks and chairs were piled against the walls, and there was an upturned wastepaper basket - but propped against the wall facing him was something that didn't look as if it belonged there, something that looked as if someone had just put it there to keep it out of the way.**

"What is it?" older Lily asked.

**It was a magnificent mirror, as high as the ceiling, with an ornate gold frame, standing on two clawed feet. There was an inscription carved around the top: Erised stra ehru oyt ube cafru oyt on wohsi.**

"I show not your face but your heart's desire," Luna said sadly.

"How do you know?" Harry asked.

"I found it once. It showed me my mum," Luna answered quietly.

Ginny hugged her and Harry smiled understandingly.

** His panic fading now that there was no sound of Filch and Snape, Harry moved nearer to the mirror, wanting to look at himself but see no reflection again. He stepped in front of it.**

**He had to clap his hands to his mouth to stop himself from screaming. He whirled around. His heart was pounding far more furiously than when the book had screamed - for he had seen not only himself in the mirror, but a whole crowd of people standing right behind him.**

Older Lily hugged Harry. She had already figured out who those people were.

**But the room was empty. Breathing very fast, he turned slowly back to the mirror.**

**There he was, reflected in it, white and scared-looking, and there, reflected behind him, were at least ten others. Harry looked over his shoulder - but still, no one was there. Or were they all invisible, too? Was he in fact in a room full of invisible people and this mirror's trick was that it reflected them, invisible or not?**

**He looked in the mirror again. A woman standing right behind his reflection was smiling at him and waving. He reached out a hand and felt the air behind him. If she was really there, he'd touch her, their reflections were so close together, but he felt only air - she and the others existed only in the mirror.**

**She was a very pretty woman. She had dark red hair and her eyes - her eyes are just like mine, Harry thought, edging a little closer to the glass. Bright green - exactly the same shape, but then he noticed that she was crying; smiling, but crying at the same time.**

"Lily," Snape whispered. Only Dumbledore heard him.

** The tall, thin, black-haired man standing next to her put his arm around her. He wore glasses, and his hair was very untidy. It stuck up at the back, just as Harry's did.**

"James," older Sirius whispered.

**Harry was so close to the mirror now that his nose was nearly touching that of his reflection.**

**"Mom?" he whispered. "Dad?"**

Now older James moved to where Harry and older Lily were sitting. He hugged them both.

**They just looked at him, smiling. And slowly, Harry looked into the faces of the other people in the mirror, and saw other pairs of green eyes like his, other noses like his, even a little old man who looked as though he had Harry's knobbly knees - Harry was looking at his family, for the first time in his life.**

"You'd never seen what we looked like before?" older James asked.

Harry shook his head.

Older Lily's eyes filled with tears. Everyone growled at the thought of how Harry was raised.

**The Potters smiled and waved at Harry and he stared hungrily back at them, his hands pressed flat against the glass as though he was hoping to fall right through it and reach them. He had a powerful kind of ache inside him, half joy, half terrible sadness.**

Many of the women had tears running down their cheeks.

**How long he stood there, he didn't know. The reflections did not fade and he looked and looked until a distant noise brought him back to his senses. He couldn't stay here, he had to find his way back to bed. He tore his eyes away from his mother's face, whispered, "I'll come back," and hurried from the room.**

**"You could have woken me up," said Ron, crossly.**

"RON! You could have been nicer!" Mrs. Weasley yelled.

"Yes mum," Ron replied wearily.

**"You can come tonight, I'm going back, I want to show you the mirror."**

**"I'd like to see your mom and dad," Ron said eagerly.**

**"And I want to see all your family, all the Weasleys, you'll be able to show me your other brothers and everyone."**

**"You can see them any old time," said Ron. "Just come round my house this summer. Anyway, maybe it only shows dead people."**

"RON!"

** "Shame about not finding Flamel, though. Have some bacon or something, why aren't you eating anything?"**

**Harry couldn't eat. He had seen his parents and would be seeing them again tonight. He had almost forgotten about Flamel. It didn't seem very important anymore. Who cared what the three headed dog was guarding? What did it matter if Snape stole it, really?**

"Harry, I don't think you should go back," older Lily whispered.

"I know. It's dangerous," Harry replied.

**"Are you all right?" said Ron. "You look odd."**

**What Harry feared most was that he might not be able to find the mirror room again. With Ron covered in the cloak, too, they had to walk much more slowly the next night. They tried retracing Harry's route from the library, wandering around the dark passageways for nearly an hour.**

**"I'm freezing," said Ron. "Let's forget it and go back."**

**"No!" Harry hissed. "I know it's here somewhere."**

**They passed the ghost of a tall witch gliding in the opposite direction, but saw no one else. just as Ron started moaning that his feet were dead with cold, Harry spotted the suit of armor.**

**"It's here - just here - yes!"**

**They pushed the door open. Harry dropped the cloak from around his shoulders and ran to the mirror.**

**There they were. His mother and father beamed at the sight of him.**

**"See?" Harry whispered.**

**"I can't see anything."**

**"Look! Look at them all... there are loads of them..."**

**"I can only see you."**

**"Look in it properly, go on, stand where I am."**

**Harry stepped aside, but with Ron in front of the mirror, he couldn't see his family anymore, just Ron in his paisley pajamas.**

**Ron, though, was staring transfixed at his image.**

**"Look at me!" he said.**

**"Can you see all your family standing around you?"**

**"No - I'm alone - but I'm different - I look older - and I'm head boy!"**

**"What?"**

**"I am - I'm wearing the badge like Bill used to - and I'm holding the house cup and the Quidditch cup - I'm Quidditch captain, too."**

"Ron?" Bill asked.

Ron looked at him.

"Is that your heart's desire? To be alone?" Bill asked.

"My heart's desire used to be to outshine the rest of the family, but I've changed. That was years ago," Ron answered.

**Ron tore his eyes away from this splendid sight to look excitedly at Harry.**

**"Do you think this mirror shows the future?"**

**"How can it? All my family are dead - let me have another look -"**

"Oh Harry," Ginny muttered.

**"You had it to yourself all last night, give me a bit more time."**

**"You're only holding the Quidditch cup, what's interesting about that? I want to see my parents."**

**"Don't push me -"**

**A sudden noise outside in the corridor put an end to their discussion. They hadn't realized how loudly they had been talking.**

**"Quick!"**

**Ron threw the cloak back over them as the luminous eyes of Mrs. Norris came round the door. Ron and Harry stood quite still, both thinking the same thing - did the cloak work on cats? After what seemed an age, she turned and left.**

**"This isn't safe - she might have gone for Filch, I bet she heard us. Come on."**

**And Ron pulled Harry out of the room.**

**The snow still hadn't melted the next morning.**

**"Want to play chess, Harry?" said Ron.**

**"No."**

**"Why don't we go down and visit Hagrid?"**

**"No... you go..."**

**"I know what you're thinking about, Harry, that mirror. Don't go back tonight."**

**"Why not?"**

**"I dunno, I've just got a bad feeling about it - and anyway, you've had too many close shaves already."**

"Listen to him," older Sirius said.

** "Filch, Snape, and Mrs. Norris are wandering around. So what if they can't see you? What if they walk into you? What if you knock something over?"**

**"You sound like Hermione."**

**"I'm serious, Harry, don't go."**

**But Harry only had one thought in his head, which was to get back in front of the mirror, and Ron wasn't going to stop him.**

**That third night he found his way more quickly than before. He was walking so fast he knew he was making more noise than was wise, but he didn't meet anyone.**

**And there were his mother and father smiling at him again, and one of his grandfathers nodding happily. Harry sank down to sit on the floor in front of the mirror. There was nothing to stop him from staying here all night with his family. Nothing at all.**

**Except -**

**"So - back again, Harry?"**

"Who's there?" Tonks asked.

**Harry felt as though his insides had turned to ice. He looked behind him. Sitting on one of the desks by the wall was none other than Albus Dumbledore. Harry must have walked straight past him, so desperate to get to the mirror he hadn't noticed him.**

"You really need to stay away from that thing," older Remus advised.

**" - I didn't see you, sir."**

**"Strange how nearsighted being invisible can make you," said Dumbledore, and Harry was relieved to see that he was smiling.**

**"So," said Dumbledore, slipping off the desk to sit on the floor with Harry, "you, like hundreds before you, have discovered the delights of the Mirror of Erised."**

**"I didn't know it was called that, Sir."**

**"But I expect you've realized by now what it does?"**

**"It - well - it shows me my family -"**

**"And it showed your friend Ron himself as head boy."**

**"How did you know -?"**

**"I don't need a cloak to become invisible," said Dumbledore gently. "Now, can you think what the Mirror of Erised shows us all?"**

**Harry shook his head.**

**"Let me explain. The happiest man on earth would be able to use the Mirror of Erised like a normal mirror, that is, he would look into it and see himself exactly as he is. Does that help?"**

**Harry thought. Then he said slowly, "It shows us what we want... whatever we want..."**

**"Yes and no," said Dumbledore quietly. "It shows us nothing more or less than the deepest, most desperate desire of our hearts. You, who have never known your family, see them standing around you. Ronald Weasley, who has always been overshadowed by his brothers, sees himself standing alone, the best of all of them.**

"Oh, Ron," Mrs. Weasley sighed.

"I've already said I don't think like that anymore," Ron said.

** However, this mirror will give us neither knowledge or truth. Men have wasted away before it, entranced by what they have seen, or been driven mad, not knowing if what it shows is real or even possible.**

**"The Mirror will be moved to a new home tomorrow, Harry, and I ask you not to go looking for it again. If you ever do run across it, you will now be prepared. It does not do to dwell on dreams and forget to live, remember that. Now, why don't you put that admirable cloak back on and get off to bed?"**

**Harry stood up.**

**"Sir - Professor Dumbledore? Can I ask you something?"**

**"Obviously, you've just done so," Dumbledore smiled. "You may ask me one more thing, however."**

**"What do you see when you look in the mirror?"**

"That's rather personal!" older Lily scolded.

Harry shrugged.

**"I? I see myself holding a pair of thick, woolen socks."**

A few people laughed.

**Harry stared.**

**"One can never have enough socks," said Dumbledore. "Another Christmas has come and gone and I didn't get a single pair. People will insist on giving me books."**

**It was only when he was back in bed that it struck Harry that Dumbledore might not have been quite truthful. But then, he thought, as he shoved Scabbers off his pillow, it had been quite a personal question.**

"That's the end of the chapter," McGonagall said.

_AN: Thanks for reading!_

_~ Pottergirl3333_


	14. Nicolas Flamel

_Disclaimer: I still do not own Harry Potter and never will._

"I want to read," Lee said.

Fred and George looked at him in shock.

"It's a good book," Lee defended.

"We've lost him," Fred said.

"Gone forever," George agreed.

"Prats," Lee muttered, before starting.

**NICOLAS FLAMEL**

**Dumbledore had convinced Harry not to go looking for the Mirror of Erised again, **

"Good," older Lily said.

**and for the rest of the Christmas holidays the invisibility cloak stayed folded at the bottom of his trunk.**

"Not good," older Sirius said.

Older Lily glared at him.

** Harry wished he could forget what he'd seen in the mirror as easily, but he couldn't. He started having nightmares. Over and over again he dreamed about his parents disappearing in a flash of green light, while a high voice cackled with laughter.**

"Harry," Mrs. Weasley said, her voice full of concern.

"Those are nothing to the ones I have now," Harry shrugged.

"You shouldn't have to go through all this," older Lily said, hugging her son.

"Somebody had to," Harry replied.

**"You see, Dumbledore was right, that mirror could drive you mad," said Ron, when Harry told him about these drearns.**

**Hermione, who came back the day before term started, took a different view of things. She was torn between horror at the idea of Harry being out of bed, roaming the school three nights in a row ("If Filch had caught you!"), and disappointment that he hadn't at least found out who Nicolas Flamel was.**

**They had almost given up hope of ever finding Flamel in a library book, even though Harry was still sure he'd read the name somewhere.**

"I did," Harry said.

"Where?" Charlie asked.

"A place," Ron answered.

** Once term had started, they were back to skimming through books for ten minutes during their breaks. Harry had even less time than the other two, because Quidditch practice had started again.**

"WOOOOOOOOO!" young James shouted.

"Ha! I knew you couldn't go the rest of the book without talking!" young Lily cried.

"Neither could you apparently," young James pointed out.

Young Lily sighed in disgust.

Alice patted her back.

**Wood was working the team harder than ever. Even the endless rain that had replaced the snow couldn't dampen his spirits. The Weasleys complained that Wood was becoming a fanatic,**

"I was not! We have to practice to win! Even if it was in the rain! We play matches in the rain, so-" Oliver stopped talking, but his mouth kept moving.

"Sorry, but if we ever want to finish this you can't talk about Quidditch the whole book," Angelina said, pocketing her wand.

Oliver pouted.

Katie laughed.

** but Harry was on Wood's side.**

"He is your son," older Lily muttered to her husband.

Older James beamed.

** If they won their next match, against Hufflepuff, they would overtake Slytherin in the house championship for the first time in seven years. Quite apart from wanting to win, Harry found that he had fewer nightmares when he was tired out after training.**

"See Lils, Quidditch is good for people," older James said.

Older Remus and Sirius laughed at the look older Lily gave older James.

**Then, during one particularly wet and muddy practice session, Wood gave the team a bit of bad news. He'd just gotten very angry with the Weasleys, who kept dive-bombing each other and pretending to fall off their brooms.**

**"Will you stop messing around!" he yelled. "That's exactly the sort of thing that'll lose us the match! Snape's refereeing this time,**

"HE'S WHAT!?" older Sirius yelled.

"HE CAN'T!" older James shouted.

Older Remus stood up and walked over to where Snape was at. He bent down.

"If you so much as look at Harry the wrong way during that match I will personally make sure you will wish you were never born," older Remus whispered threateningly.

Snape just nodded.

Older Remus walked back to his seat.

"Everyone calm down, nothing bad happened," Dumbledore said.

"NOTHING BAD HAPPENED! LOOK AT THE LAST MATCH! HARRY ALMOST DIED AND YOU DIDN'T DO ANYTHING ABOUT IT!" older Lily screamed.

"I don't expect you to understand," Dumbledore sighed.

"NO! YOU DON'T UNDERSTAND! THAT IS MY SON AND IF ANYTHING HAPPENS TO HIM I BLAME YOU FOR NOT PROTECTING HIM!" older Lily continued.

"Mum, it's okay. I'm fine. Everything will be explained. Just sit down and listen," Harry said.

Older Lily glared at him, but did a he said.

** and he'll be looking for any excuse to knock points off Gryffindor!"**

"That's not surprising," young Remus muttered.

**George Weasley really did fall off his broom at these words.**

"Were you okay?" Mrs. Weasley asked.

"Yes mum," George rolled his eyes.

**"Snape's refereeing?" he spluttered through a mouthful of mud. **

"Eww," Lavender said.

**"When's he ever refereed a Quidditch match? He's not going to be fair if we might overtake Slytherin."**

"EXACTLY! HE SHOULDN'T BE ALLOWED TO REFEREE!" young James yelled.

"POTTER! SHUT UP!" young Lily screamed.

Young James glared at her.

**The rest of the team landed next to George to complain, too.**

**"It's not my fault," said Wood. "We've just got to make sure we play a clean game, so Snape hasn't got an excuse to pick on us."**

"He's going to pick on you no matter what!" older Sirius snarled.

**Which was all very well, thought Harry, but he had another reason for not wanting Snape near him while he was playing Quidditch...**

Older James sighed.

**The rest of the team hung back to talk to one another as usual at the end of practice, but Harry headed straight back to the Gryffindor common room, where he found Ron and Hermione playing chess. Chess was the only thing Hermione ever lost at, something Harry and Ron thought was very good for her.**

"Gits," Hermione muttered.

"Oh, Hermione, you know you can't live without us," Ron said cheekily.

"Even though your both so bloody irritating," Hermione teased.

"Did she?" Fred asked.

"She did," George answered.

"I did what?" Hermione asked.

"You said bloody," the twins said together in awe.

"Like you never said it before," Hermione retorted.

**"Don't talk to me for a moment," said Ron when Harry sat down next to him, "I need to concen -" He caught sight of Harry's face. "What's the matter with you? You look terrible."**

"Gee, thanks," Harry said.

"Anytime mate," Ron replied.

**Speaking quietly so that no one else would hear, Harry told the other two about Snape's sudden, sinister desire to be a Quidditch referee.**

"He can't even fly well," young James scoffed.

Severus went red.

**"Don't play," said Hermione at once.**

**"Say you're ill," said Ron.**

**"Pretend to break your leg," Hermione suggested.**

**"Really break your leg," said Ron.**

**"I can't," said Harry. "There isn't a reserve Seeker. If I back out, Gryffindor can't play at all."**

"There's the too noble for his own good thing coming out," Neville said.

"Just like James," older Sirius muttered.

**At that moment Neville toppled into the common room. How he had managed to climb through the portrait hole was anyone's guess, because his legs had been stuck together with what they recognized at once as the Leg-Locker Curse.**

"What happened?" Frank growled.

"Malfoy," Neville answered.

** He must have had to bunny hop all the way up to Gryffindor tower.**

"You poor dear," Alice cooed.

Neville blushed, to the rest of the D.A.'s amusement.

**Everyone fell over laughing except Hermione,**

"Ron!" Mrs. Weasley scolded.

"Harry!" older Lily cried.

"Sorry," the two muttered.

"It was a little funny though," Ron added.

Mrs. Weasley glared at him.

** who leapt up and performed the countercurse. Neville's legs sprang apart and he got to his feet, trembling. "What happened?" Hermione asked him, leading him over to sit with Harry and Ron.**

**"Malfoy," said Neville shakily. "I met him outside the library. He said he'd been looking for someone to practice that on."**

"Prat," young James said.

"Sounds like somebody else we know," young Lily said, looking pointedly at young James.

"I stopped hexing people!" young James cried.

Young Lily didn't have anything to say to that.

**"Go to Professor McGonagall!" Hermione urged Neville. "Report him!"**

**Neville shook his head.**

**"I don't want more trouble," he mumbled.**

**"You've got to stand up to him, Neville!" said Ron. "He's used to walking all over people, but that's no reason to lie down in front of him and make it easier."**

"Ron! You could have said that nicer!" Mrs. Weasley snapped.

Ron shrugged.

**"There's no need to tell me I'm not brave enough to be in Gryffindor, Malfoy's already done that," Neville choked out.**

"You were put in Gryffindor for a reason," Frank said.

"I know that now," Neville said.

"Yeah, Neville's the best!" Dean cried.

"Wait til you see what he did this past year!" Seamus added.

"Guys, it's not a big deal. I didn't do much," Neville said.

"Yeah you did," Micheal said.

"We all did," Neville said.

"Now you see what I have to deal with," Harry said.

**Harry felt in the pocket of his robes and pulled out a Chocolate Frog, the very last one from the box Hermione had given him for Christmas. He gave it to Neville, who looked as though he might cry.**

"That was nice of you Harry," Frank said.

"Thank-you," Alice added.

"No need to thank me. Neville's me friend," Harry shrugged.

"That's something Lily would do," older Remus said.

"I'm proud of you," older Lily told her son.

Harry beamed.

**"You're worth twelve of Malfoy," Harry said. "The Sorting Hat chose you for Gryffindor, didn't it? And where's Malfoy? In stinking Slytherin."**

"Like I said, just like Lily," older Remus said.

**Neville's lips twitched in a weak smile as he unwrapped the frog.**

**"Thanks, Harry... I think I'll go to bed... D'you want the card, you collect them, don't you?"**

**As Neville walked away, Harry looked at the Famous Wizard card.**

**"Dumbledore again," he said, "He was the first one I ever-"**

**He gasped.**

"What is it?" Mrs. Weasley demanded.

** He stared at the back of the card. Then he looked up at Ron and Hermione.**

**"I've found him!" he whispered.**

"Found who?" young Sirius asked.

"Flamel you dope!" young James exclaimed, hitting young Sirius on the head.

** "I've found Flamel! I told you I'd read the name somewhere before, I read it on the train coming here**

"On the back of a chocolate frog card," Bill laughed.

** - listen to this: 'Dumbledore is particularly famous for his defeat of the dark wizard Grindelwald in 1945, for the discovery of the twelve uses of dragon's blood, and his work on alchemy with his partner, Nicolas Flamel'!"**

"Only you three," Justin laughed.

**Hermione jumped to her feet. She hadn't looked so excited since they'd gotten back the marks for their very first piece of homework.**

Hermione blushed.

**"Stay there!" she said, and she sprinted up the stairs to the girls' dormitories. Harry and Ron barely had time to exchange mystified looks before she was dashing back, an enormous old book in her arms.**

"Only that girl," Lavender said, shaking her head.

**"I never thought to look in here!" she whispered excitedly. "I got this out of the library weeks ago for a bit of light reading."**

"Light?" young Sirius said, "You sound like Remus."

"What's wrong with that?" young Remus demanded.

"You are reborn into a girl," young Sirius laughed.

Young James face-palmed.

"We don't even know what happens to you, Peter, or Remus in the future," young James pointed out.

"Shut up!" young Sirius snapped.

**"Light?" said Ron,**

"I'm reborn in Ron!" young Sirius cried.

"Was I always this stupid?" older Sirius asked his friends.

"Pretty much," older Remus said.

"Usually," older James answered.

** but Hermione told him to be quiet until she'd looked something up, and started flicking frantically through the pages, muttering to herself.**

"You're barking," Dean said.

"All three of them are barking," Ginny said.

**At last she found what she was looking for.**

**"I knew it! I knew it!"**

**"Are we allowed to speak yet?" said Ron grumpily.**

A few people laughed.

** Hermione ignored him.**

**"Nicolas Flamel," she whispered dramatically, "is the only known maker of the Sorcerer's Stone!"**

"The title of the book!" Tonks exclaimed.

"The what?" young Sirius asked.

**This didn't have quite the effect she'd expected.**

**"The what?" said Harry and Ron.**

**"Oh, honestly, don't you two read?"**

"Nope," Ron and Harry said.

** "Look - read that, there."**

**She pushed the book toward them, and Harry and Ron read: The ancient study of alchemy is concerned with making the Sorcerer's Stone, a legendary substance with astonishing powers. The stone will transform any metal into pure gold. It also produces the Elixir of Life, which will make the drinker immortal.**

**There have been many reports of the Sorcerer's Stone over the centuries, but the only Stone currently in existence belongs to Mr. Nicolas Flamel, the noted alchemist and opera lover. Mr. Flamel, who celebrated his six hundred and sixty-fifth birthday last year, enjoys a quiet life in Devon with his wife, Perenelle (six hundred and fifty-eight).**

**"See?" said Hermione, when Harry and Ron had finished. "The dog must be guarding Flamel's Sorcerer's Stone! I bet he asked Dumbledore to keep it safe for him, because they're friends and he knew someone was after it, that's why he wanted the Stone moved out of Gringotts!"**

"Smart girl," Moody grunted.

McGonagall rolled her eyes.

**"A stone that makes gold and stops you from ever dying!" said Harry. "No wonder Snape's after it! Anyone would want it."**

Harry moved closer to his friends and whispered, "Like Voldemort."

**"And no wonder we couldn't find Flamel in that Study of Recent Developments in Wizardry," said Ron. "He's not exactly recent if he's six hundred and sixty-five, is he?"**

"Not really, no," Dumbledore said.

**The next morning in Defense Against the Dark Arts, while copying down different ways of treating werewolf bites, Harry and Ron were still discussing what they'd do with a Sorcerer's Stone if they had one. It wasn't until Ron said he'd buy his own Quidditch team that Harry remembered about Snape and the coming match.**

**"I'm going to play," he told Ron and Hermione. "If I don't, all the Slytherins will think I'm just too scared to face Snape. I'll show them... it'll really wipe the smiles off their faces if we win."**

"Never say if, just when," older James said.

He got a lot of weird looks.

**"Just as long as we're not wiping you off the field," said Hermione.**

"That makes me feel better," older Lily muttered.

**As the match drew nearer, however, Harry became more and more nervous, whatever he told Ron and Hermione. The rest of the team wasn't too calm, either. The idea of overtaking Slytherin in the house championship was wonderful, no one had done it for seven years, but would they be allowed to, with such a biased referee?**

**Harry didn't know whether he was imagining it or not, but he seemed to keep running into Snape wherever he went. At times, he even wondered whether Snape was following him, trying to catch him on his own. Potions lessons were turning into a sort of weekly torture, Snape was so horrible to Harry. Could Snape possibly know they'd found out about the Sorcerer's Stone? Harry didn't see how he could - yet he sometimes had the horrible feeling that Snape could read minds.**

"Why are you following my son?" James asked in forced calmness.

"To protect him," Snape replied.

Many people were confused.

**Harry knew, when they wished him good luck outside the locker rooms the next afternoon, that Ron and Hermione were wondering whether they'd ever see him alive again. This wasn't what you'd call comforting.**

"Sorry mate," Ron said.

"It's okay, you were just worried about me," Harry said.

** Harry hardly heard a word of Wood's pep talk as he pulled on his Quidditch robes and picked up his Nimbus Two Thousand.**

**Ron and Hermione, meanwhile, had found a place in the stands next to Neville, who couldn't understand why they looked so grim and worried, or why they had both brought their wands to the match. Little did Harry know that Ron and Hermione had been secretly practicing the Leg-Locker Curse. They'd gotten the idea from Malfoy using it on Neville, and were ready to use it on Snape if he showed any sign of wanting to hurt Harry.**

"Thanks guys," Harry said.

"Anytime," Hermione answered.

**"Now, don't forget, it's Locomotor Mortis," Hermione muttered as Ron slipped his wand up his sleeve.**

**"I know," Ron snapped. "Don't nag."**

"Sorry," Hermione said.

"It's okay. It's what you do when your nervous," Harry shrugged.

**Back in the locker room, Wood had taken Harry aside.**

**"Don't want to pressure you, Potter, but if we ever need an early capture of the Snitch it's now. Finish the game before Snape can favor Hufflepuff too much."**

**"The whole school's out there!" said Fred Weasley, peering out of the door. "Even - blimey - Dumbledore's come to watch!"**

"Thank Merlin," older James whispered.

"Snape won't try anything with Dumbledore there," older Sirius said.

**Harry's heart did a somersault.**

**"Dumbledore?" he said, dashing to the door to make sure. Fred was right. There was no mistaking that silver beard.**

**Harry could have laughed out loud with relief He was safe. There was simply no way that Snape would dare to try to hurt him if Dumbledore was watching.**

**Perhaps that was why Snape was looking so angry as the teams marched onto the field, something that Ron noticed, too.**

**"I've never seen Snape look so mean," he told Hermione. "Look -they're off Ouch!"**

**Someone had poked Ron in the back of the head. It was Malfoy.**

"Leave them alone!" Charlie snapped.

**"Oh, sorry, Weasley, didn't see you there."**

**Malfoy grinned broadly at Crabbe and Goyle.**

**"Wonder how long Potter's going to stay on his broom this time? Anyone want a bet? What about you, Weasley?"**

"He stayed on his broom all the last match! Even when somebody was trying to kill him!" young James snarled.

**Ron didn't answer; Snape had just awarded Hufflepuff a penalty because George Weasley had hit a Bludger at him.**

"George!" Mrs. Weasley shouted.

"Way to go!" young Sirius exclaimed.

** Hermione, who had all her fingers crossed in her lap, was squinting fixedly at Harry, who was circling the game like a hawk, looking for the Snitch.**

**"You know how I think they choose people for the Gryffindor team?" said Malfoy loudly a few minutes later, as Snape awarded Hufflepuff another penalty for no reason at all.**

Growls rang out throughout the room.

** "It's people they feel sorry for. See, there's Potter, who's got no parents,**

"That little..." older Sirius growled.

** then there's the Weasleys, who've got no money -**

"At least we have a loving family," Mr. Weasley yelled, his ears turning red.

** you should be on the team, Longbottom, you've got no brains."**

"How dare you!?" Alice shrieked.

**Neville went bright red but turned in his seat to face Malfoy.**

**"I'm worth twelve of you, Malfoy," he stammered.**

"You tell him Neville!" Frank cheered.

**Malfoy, Crabbe, and Goyle howled with laughter, but Ron, still not daring to take his eyes from the game, said, "You tell him, Neville."**

"So, it's Frank that's reborn into Ron!" young Sirius cried.

"Would you stop with the whole reborn thing!" young Remus shouted.

**"Longbottom, if brains were gold you'd be poorer than Weasley, and that's saying something."**

"Punch him in the nose!" young James urged.

"Shut up!" Alice snapped.

**Ron's nerves were already stretched to the breaking point with anxiety about Harry.**

**"I'm warning you, Malfoy - one more word**

**"Ron!" said Hermione suddenly, "Harry -"**

"What's wrong?" older Lily asked.

**"What? Where?"**

**Harry had suddenly gone into a spectacular dive, which drew gasps and cheers from the crowd. Hermione stood up, her crossed fingers in her mouth, as Harry streaked toward the ground like a bullet.**

"Go Harry!" the young Marauders cheered.

**"You're in luck, Weasley, Potter's obviously spotted some money on the ground!" said Malfoy.**

"Idiot!" Percy snarled.

Everyone looked at him in shock.

"What?" Percy asked.

"Nothing," Fred said.

**Ron snapped. Before Malfoy knew what was happening, Ron was on top of him, wrestling him to the ground.**

"Ron!" Mrs. Weasley shouted.

"Get him!" Fred an George cheered.

** Neville hesitated, then clambered over the back of his seat to help.**

"Alright Neville!" Frank cheered.

"Frank! Don't encourage him! Neville! Don't fight people!" Alice yelled.

"Yes mum," Neville said.

Alice smiled, "You just called me mum."

Neville shrugged.

**"Come on, Harry!" Hermione screamed, leaping onto her seat to watch as Harry sped straight at Snape - she didn't even notice Malfoy and Ron rolling around under her seat, or the scuffles and yelps coming from the whirl of fists that was Neville, Crabbe, and Goyle.**

"You show them!" Seamus shouted.

**Up in the air, Snape turned on his broomstick just in time to see something scarlet shoot past him, missing him by inches - the next second, Harry had pulled out of the dive, his arm raised in triumph, the Snitch clasped in his hand.**

"WOOOOOOO!" the Quidditch nuts cheered.

**The stands erupted; it had to be a record, no one could ever remember the Snitch being caught so quickly.**

**"Ron! Ron! Where are you? The game's over! Harry's won! We've won! Gryffindor is in the lead!" shrieked Hermione, dancing up and down on her seat and hugging Parvati Patil in the row in front.**

**Harry jumped off his broom, a foot from the ground. He couldn't believe it. He'd done it - the game was over; it had barely lasted five minutes. As Gryffindors came spilling onto the field, he saw Snape land nearby, white-faced and tight-lipped - then Harry felt a hand on his shoulder and looked up into Dumbledore's smiling face.**

**"Well done," said Dumbledore quietly, so that only Harry could hear. "Nice to see you haven't been brooding about that mirror... been keeping busy... excellent..."**

**Snape spat bitterly on the ground.**  
"Ha," young James said.

**Harry left the locker room alone some time later, to take his Nimbus Two Thousand back to the broomshed. He couldn't ever remember feeling happier. He'd really done something to be proud of now - no one could say he was just a famous name any more. The evening air had never smelled so sweet. He walked over the damp grass, reliving the last hour in his head, which was a happy blur: Gryffindors running to lift him onto their shoulders; Ron and Hermione in the distance, jumping up and down, Ron cheering through a heavy nosebleed.**

**Harry had reached the shed. He leaned against the wooden door and looked up at Hogwarts, with its windows glowing red in the setting sun. Gryffindor in the lead. He'd done it, he'd shown Snape...**

**And speaking of Snape...**

**A hooded figure came swiftly down the front steps of the castle.**

"You followed me?" Snape said.

"Yep," Harry answered.

"Good work Potter," Moody grunted.

** Clearly not wanting to be seen, it walked as fast as possible toward the forbidden forest. Harry's victory faded from his mind as he watched. He recognized the figure's prowling walk. Snape, sneaking into the forest while everyone else was at dinner - what was going on?**

**Harry jumped back on his Nimbus Two Thousand and took off. Gliding silently over the castle he saw Snape enter the forest at a run. He followed.**

**The trees were so thick he couldn't see where Snape had gone. He flew in circles, lower and lower, brushing the top branches of trees until he heard voices. He glided toward them and landed noiselessly in a towering beech tree.**

**He climbed carefully along one of the branches, holding tight to his broomstick, trying to see through the leaves. Below, in a shadowy clearing, stood Snape, but he wasn't alone. Quirrell was there, too. Harry couldn't make out the look on his face, but he was stuttering worse than ever. Harry strained to catch what they were saying.**

**"... d-don't know why you wanted t-t-to meet here of all p-places, Severus..."**

**"Oh, I thought we'd keep this private," said Snape, his voice icy. "Students aren't supposed to know about the Sorcerer's Stone, after all."**

**Harry leaned forward. Quirrell was mumbling something. Snape interrupted him.**

**"Have you found out how to get past that beast of Hagrid's yet?"**

**"B-b-but Severus, I -"**

**"You don't want me as your enemy, Quirrell," said Snape, taking a step toward him.**

**"I-I don't know what you**

**"You know perfectly well what I mean."**

**An owl hooted loudly, and Harry nearly fell out of the tree. He steadied himself in time to hear Snape say, "- your little bit of hocus-pocus. I'm waiting."**

**"B-but I d-d-don't -"**

**"Very well," Snape cut in. "We'll have another little chat soon, when you've had time to think things over and decided where your loyalties lie."**

**He threw his cloak over his head and strode out of the clearing. It was almost dark now, but Harry could see Quirrell, standing quite still as though he was petrified.**

**"Harry, where have you been?" Hermione squeaked.**

**"We won! You won! We won!" shouted Ron, thumping Harry on the back. "And I gave Malfoy a black eye, and Neville tried to take on Crabbe and Goyle single-handed! He's still out cold**

"Oh dear," Alice said.

** but Madam Pomfrey says he'll be all right - talk about showing Slytherin! Everyone's waiting for you in the common room, we're having a party, Fred and George stole some cakes and stuff from the kitchens."**

**"Never mind that now," said Harry breathlessly. "Let's find an empty room, you wait 'til you hear this..."**

**He made sure Peeves wasn't inside before shutting the door behind them, then he told them what he'd seen and heard.**

**"So we were right, it is the Sorcerer's Stone, and Snape's trying to force Quirrell to help him get it. He asked if he knew how to get past Fluffy - and he said something about Quirrell's 'hocus pocuss- I reckon there are other things guarding the stone apart from Fluffy, loads of enchantments, probably, and Quirrell would have done some anti-Dark Arts spell that Snape needs to break through -"**

**"So you mean the Stone's only safe as long as Quirrell stands up to Snape?" said Hermione in alarm.**

**"It'll be gone by next Tuesday," said Ron.**

"That's it," Lee said.

_AN: Thanks for all the support!_

_~ Pottergirl3333_


	15. Norbert The Norwegian Ridgeback

_Disclaimer: Me no own Harry Potter._

"I want to read," Cho said.

She was passed the book.

**NORBERT THE NORWEGIAN RIDGEBACK**

**Quirrell, however, must have been braver than they'd thought. In the weeks that followed he did seem to be getting paler and thinner, but it didn't look as though he'd cracked yet.**

"That's good," Alice stated.

**Every time they passed the third-floor corridor, Harry, Ron, and Hermione would press their ears to the door to check that Fluffy was still growling inside.**

Snape rolled his eyes.

"It's not up to you three to protect it!" Mrs. Weasley yelled.

Harry shrugged.

** Snape was sweeping about in his usual bad temper, which surely meant that the Stone was still safe. Whenever Harry passed Quirrell these days he gave him an encouraging sort of smile,**

"I can't believe we were nice to him," Harry whispered.

"I know," Hermione agreed in disgust.

** and Ron had started telling people off for laughing at Quirrell's stutter.**

"Shouldn't have bothered," Ron muttered.

**Hermione, however, had more on her mind than the Sorcerer's Stone. She had started drawing up study schedules and colorcoding all her notes. Harry and Ron wouldn't have minded, but she kept nagging them to do the same.**

**"Hermione, the exams are ages away."**

**"Ten weeks," Hermione snapped. "That's not ages, that's like a second to Nicolas Flamel."**

"Your not Flamel," young Sirius pointed out.

**"But we're not six hundred years old," Ron reminded her. "Anyway, what are you studying for, you already know it all."**

**"What am I studying for? Are you crazy? You realize we need to pass these exams to get into the second year? They're very important, I should have started studying a month ago, I don't know what's gotten into me..."**

"The boys rubbed off on you," older Lily said.

**Unfortunately, the teachers seemed to be thinking along the same lines as Hermione. They piled so much homework on them that the Easter holidays weren't nearly as much fun as the Christmas ones. It was hard to relax with Hermione next to you reciting the twelve uses of dragon's blood or practicing wand movements. Moaning and yawning, Harry and Ron spent most of their free time in the library with her, trying to get through all their extra work.**

**"I'll never remember this," Ron burst out one afternoon, throwing down his quill and looking longingly out of the library window. It was the first really fine day they'd had in months. The sky was a clear, forget-me-not blue, and there was a feeling in the air of summer coming.**

**Harry, who was looking up "Dittany"**

"Very useful," older Sirius said.

"More useful than you know," Hermione said.

"I don't want to know, do I?" older Sirius asked.

"Probably not, but you'll hear about it soon enough," Harry replied.

"That's scary," Tonks groaned.

"Everything they do is scary," Cho said.

"It's true! Just the rumors about their 2nd year makes me shudder!" Cedric added.

"The memories have the same affect on us," Ron assured him.

** in One Thousand Magical Herbs and Fungi, didn't look up until he heard Ron say, "Hagrid! What are you doing in the library?"**

"I know what is going on!" Charlie exclaimed.

"You do?" Tonks asked.

"Yeah, I helped them with...nevermind," Charlie said.

Tonks sighed.

**Hagrid shuffled into view, hiding something behind his back. He looked very out of place in his moleskin overcoat.**

**"Jus' lookin'," he said, in a shifty voice that got their interest at once. "An' what're you lot up ter?" He looked suddenly suspicious. "Yer not still lookin' fer Nicolas Flamel, are yeh?"**

"No they know who he is," young Sirius said.

** "Oh, we found out who he is ages ago," said Ron impressively. "And we know what that dog's guarding, it's a Sorcerer's St -"**

"Not there you fool," Moody growled.

"They're first years! What do you expect?" McGonagall snapped.

**"Shhhh!" Hagrid looked around quickly to see if anyone was listening. "Don' go shoutin' about it, what's the matter with yeh?"**

**"There are a few things we wanted to ask you, as a matter of fact," said Harry, "about what's guarding the Stone apart from Fluffy -"**

**"SHHHH!" said Hagrid again. "Listen - come an' see me later, I'm not promisin' I'll tell yeh anythin', mind, but don' go rabbitin' about it in here, students aren' s'pposed ter know. They'll think I've told yeh -"**

"You basically did," Mr. Weasley pointed out.

Hagrid looked down guiltily.

**"See you later, then," said Harry.**

**Hagrid shuffled off.**

**"What was he hiding behind his back?" said Hermione thoughtfully.**

**"Do you think it had anything to do with the Stone?"**

**"I'm going to see what section he was in," said Ron, who'd had enough of working. He came back a minute later with a pile of books in his arms and slammed them down on the table.**

**"Dragons!" he whispered. "Hagrid was looking up stuff about dragons! Look at these: Dragon Species of Great Britain and Ireland; From Egg to Inferno, A Dragon Keeper's Guide."**

**"Hagrid's always wanted a dragon, he told me so the first time I ever met him, " said Harry.**

"Oh no," older Lily groaned.

"It was real!" McGonagall exclaimed.

Hermione, Ron, and Harry smiled at her.

**"But it's against our laws," said Ron. "Dragon breeding was outlawed by the Warlocks' Convention of 1709, everyone knows that."**

"I can't believe you know the year it was outlawed," Padma said.

Ron shrugged.

** "It's hard to stop Muggles from noticing us if we're keeping dragons in the back garden - anyway, you can't tame dragons, it's dangerous. You should see the burns Charlie's got off wild ones in Romania."**

**"But there aren't wild dragons in Britain?" said Harry.**

**"Of course there are," said Ron. "Common Welsh Green and Hebridean Blacks. The Ministry of Magic has a job hushing them up, I can tell you. Our kind have to keep putting spells on Muggles who've spotted them, to make them forget."**

**"So what on earths Hagrid up to?" said Hermione.**

"Nothing that you three did to get involved with," older James.

"Not matter how cool it is," older Sirius agreed.

Older James glared at him.

"It's a dragon! Can you blame them?" older Sirius cried.

Older James grumbled something about annoying friends.

**When they knocked on the door of the gamekeeper's hut an hour later, they were surprised to see that all the curtains were closed. Hagrid called "Who is it?" before he let them in, and then shut the door quickly behind them.**

**It was stifling hot inside. Even though it was such a warm day, there was a blazing fire in the grate. Hagrid made them tea and offered them stoat sandwiches, which they refused.**

**"So - yeh wanted to ask me somethin'?"**

**"Yes," said Harry. There was no point beating around the bush. "We were wondering if you could tell us what's guarding the Sorcerer's Stone apart from Fluffy."**

"You better not have told them," Snape said.

**Hagrid frowned at him.**

**"0' course I cant," he said. "Number one, I don' know meself. Number two, yeh know too much already, so I wouldn' tell yeh if I could. That Stone's here fer a good reason. It Was almost stolen outta Gringotts - I s'ppose yeh've worked that out an' all? Beats me how yeh even know abou' Fluffy."**

**"Oh, come on, Hagrid, you might not want to tell us, but you do know, you know everything that goes on round here," said Hermione in a warm, flattering voice. Hagrid's beard twitched and they could tell he was smiling. "We only wondered who had done the guarding, really." Hermione went on. "We wondered who Dumbledore had trusted enough to help him, apart from you."**

"Good way to get information," Moody grunted.

**Hagrid's chest swelled at these last words. Harry and Ron beamed at Hermione.**

**"Well, I don' s'pose it could hurt ter tell yeh that... let's see... he borrowed Fluffy from me... then some o' the teachers did enchantments... Professor Sprout - Professor Flitwick - Professor McGonagall -" he ticked them off on his fingers, "Professor Quirrell - an' Dumbledore himself did somethin', o' course. Hang on, I've forgotten someone. Oh yeah, Professor Snape."**

**"Snape?"**

**"Yeah - yer not still on abou' that, are yeh? Look, Snape helped protect the Stone, he's not about ter steal it."**

"No, but Quirrell was," Ron mumbled.

**Harry knew Ron and Hermione were thinking the same as he was. If Snape had been in on protecting the Stone, it must have been easy to find out how the other teachers had guarded it. He probably knew everything - except, it seemed, Quirrell's spell and how to get past Fluffy.**

"We really were off," Hermione muttered.

**"You're the only one who knows how to get past Fluffy. aren't you, Hagrid?" said Harry anxiously. "And you wouldn't tell anyone, would you? Not even one of the teachers?"**

**"Not a soul knows except me an' Dumbledore," said Hagrid proudly.**

"That's something," older Remus said.

**"Well, that's something," Harry muttered to the others.**

** "Hagrid, can we have a window open? I'm boiling."**

**"Can't, Harry, sorry," said Hagrid. Harry noticed him glance at the fire. Harry looked at it, too.**

**"Hagrid - what's that?"**

**But he already knew what it was. In the very heart of the fire, underneath the kettle, was a huge, black egg.**

"HAGRID!" Mrs. Weasley shouted.

Hagrid smiled sheepishly.

**"Ah," said Hagrid, fiddling nervously with his beard, "That's er..."**

**"Where did you get it, Hagrid?" said Ron, crouching over the fire to get a closer look at the egg. "It must've cost you a fortune."**

**"Won it," said Hagrid. "Las' night. I was down in the village havin' a few drinks an' got into a game o' cards with a stranger. Think he was quite glad ter get rid of it, ter be honest."**

"Of course he was! It's against the law to have one!" Percy cried.

**"But what are you going to do with it when it's hatched?" said Hermione.**

**"Well, I've bin doin' some readin" , said Hagrid, pulling a large book from under his pillow. "Got this outta the library - Dragon Breeding for Pleasure and Profit - it's a bit outta date, o' course, but it's all in here. Keep the egg in the fire, 'cause their mothers breathe on I em, see, an' when it hatches, feed it on a bucket o' brandy mixed with chicken blood every half hour. An' see here - how ter recognize diff'rent eggs - what I got there's a Norwegian Ridgeback. They're rare, them."**

"You can't keep it!" Lavender exclaimed.

**He looked very pleased with himself, but Hermione didn't.**

**"Hagrid, you live in a wooden house," she said.**

**But Hagrid wasn't listening. He was humming merrily as he stoked the fire.**

"Has he gone crazy?" Dean muttered to Seamus.

Seamus shrugged.

**So now they had something else to worry about: what might happen to Hagrid if anyone found out he was hiding an illegal dragon in his hut. "Wonder what it's like to have a peaceful life," Ron sighed, as evening after evening they struggled through all the extra homework they were getting. Hermione had now started making study schedules for Harry and Ron, too. It was driving them nuts.**

**Then, one breakfast time, Hedwig brought Harry another note from Hagrid. He had written only two words: It's hatching.**

"Don't you dare skip class to go see it!" Mrs. Weasley snapped.

"We didn't," Harry said.

**Ron wanted to skip Herbology and go straight down to the hut. Hermione wouldn't hear of it.**

"Thank-you dear," Mrs. Weasley said.

"Well, somebody has to keep them in line," Hermione shrugged.

**"Hermione, how many times in our lives are we going to see a dragon hatching?"**

"Knowing you three at least once," Kingsley said.

"Dragons are so uninteresting. Been there done that. Three times actually," Harry said.

"You've dealt with three dragons!?" older Lily screamed.

"One time wasn't my fault," Harry said.

"I don't care! Are you crazy?! You could have been killed!" older Lily yelled.

"Lily, the one time I know of wasn't his fault," older Sirius said.

"The one time you know of! You should know about all the times! Your his godfather! Where have you been? Why didn't you visit him at the Dursleys? Why didn't you take care of him?" older Lily screamed.

Older Sirius looked like he'd been slapped in the face.

"Mum! It's not his fault!" Harry said.

"Lily calm down," older James muttered.

"Sirius, I'm sorry," older Lily said, "I didn't mean it. I'm just worried."

Older Sirius nodded.

Cho continued reading.

**"We've got lessons, we'll get into trouble, and that's nothing to what Hagrid's going to be in when someone finds out what he's doing -"**

**"Shut up!" Harry whispered.**

**Malfoy was only a few feet away and he had stopped dead to listen.**

"Oh, no," Ginny muttered.

** How much had he heard? Harry didn't like the look on Malfoy's face at all.**

"That's not good," Fred said.

**Ron and Hermione argued all the way to Herbology and in the end, Hermione agreed to run down to Hagrid's with the other two during morning break. When the bell sounded from the castle at the end of their lesson, the three of them dropped their trowels at once and hurried through the grounds to the edge of the forest. Hagrid greeted them, looking flushed and excited.**

**"It's nearly out." He ushered them inside.**

**The egg was lying on the table. There were deep cracks in it. Something was moving inside; a funny clicking noise was coming from it.**

**They all drew their chairs up to the table and watched with bated breath.**

**All at once there was a scraping noise and the egg split open. The baby dragon flopped onto the table. **

"You are so lucky! Very few people get to see a dragon hatched!" Charlie cried.

**It wasn't exactly pretty; Harry thought it looked like a crumpled, black umbrella. Its spiny wings were huge compared to its skinny jet body, it had a long snout with wide nostrils, the stubs of horns and bulging, orange eyes.**

"Eww," Parvati whispered.

**It sneezed. A couple of sparks flew out of its snout.**

"Lovely," Susan said sarcastically.

**"Isn't he beautiful?" Hagrid murmured. He reached out a hand to stroke the dragon's head. It snapped at his fingers, showing pointed fangs.**

**"Bless him, look, he knows his mommy!" said Hagrid.**

"Mommy?" Lee whispered.

**"Hagrid," said Hermione, "how fast do Norwegian Ridgebacks grow, exactly?"**

**Hagrid was about to answer when the color suddenly drained from his face - he leapt to his feet and ran to the window.**

**"What's the matter?"**

**"Someone was lookin' through the gap in the curtains - it's a kid - he's runnin' back up ter the school."**

**Harry bolted to the door and looked out. Even at a distance there was no mistaking him.**

**Malfoy had seen the dragon.**

Tonks gasped.

**Something about the smile lurking on Malfoy's face during the next week made Harry, Ron, and Hermione very nervous. They spent most of their free time in Hagrid's darkened hut, trying to reason with him.**

**"Just let him go," Harry urged. "Set him free."**

**"I can't," said Hagrid. "He's too little. He'd die."**

**They looked at the dragon. It had grown three times in length in just a week. Smoke kept furling out of its nostrils. Hagrid hadn't been doing his gamekeeping duties because the dragon was keeping him so busy. There were empty brandy bottles and chicken feathers all over the floor.**

**"I've decided to call him Norbert," said Hagrid, looking at the dragon with misty eyes. "He really knows me now, watch. Norbert! Norbert! Where's Mommy?"**

**"He's lost his marbles," Ron muttered in Harry's ear.**

Hagrid blushed.

**"Hagrid," said Harry loudly, "give it two weeks and Norbert's going to be as long as your house. Malfoy could go to Dumbledore at any moment."**

**Hagrid bit his lip.**

**"I - I know I can't keep him forever, but I can't jus' dump him, I can't."**

**Harry suddenly turned to Ron. "Charlie," he said.**

"So it was your idea!" Charlie exclaimed.

Harry nodded.

"How come he thought of me and you didn't?" Charlie asked Ron.

Ron shrugged.

**"You're losing it, too," said Ron. "I'm Ron, remember?"**

**"No - Charlie - your brother, Charlie. In Romania. Studying dragons. We could send Norbert to him. Charlie can take care of him and then put him back in the wild!"**

**"Brilliant!" said Ron. "How about it, Hagrid?"**

**And in the end, Hagrid agreed that they could send an owl to Charlie to ask him.**

**The following week dragged by. Wednesday night found Hermione and Harry sitting alone in the common room, long after everyone else had gone to bed. The clock on the wall had just**

**chimed midnight when the portrait hole burst open. Ron appeared out of nowhere as he pulled off Harry's invisibility cloak. He had been down at Hagrid's hut, helping him feed Norbert, who was now eating dead rats by the crate.**

**"It bit me!" he said, showing them his hand, which was wrapped in a bloody handkerchief. "I'm not going to be able to hold a quill for a week. I tell you, that dragon's the most horrible animal I've ever met, but the way Hagrid goes on about it, you'd think it was a fluffy little bunny rabbit. When it bit me he told me off for frightening it. And when I left, he was singing it a lullaby."**

"I thought only flubberinghummingdoodles liked lullabies," Luna stated.

**There was a tap on the dark window.**

**"It's Hedwig!" said Harry, hurrying to let her in. "She'll have Charlie's answer!"**

**The three of them put their heads together to read the note.**

**Dear Ron,**

**How are you? Thanks for the letter - I'd be glad to take the Norwegian Ridgeback, but it won't be easy getting him here. I think the best thing will be to send him over with some friends of mine who are coming to visit me next week. Trouble is, they mustn't be seen carrying an illegal dragon.**

**Could you get the Ridgeback up the tallest tower at midnight on Saturday? They can meet you there and take him away while it's still dark.**

**Send me an answer as soon as possible.**

**Love,**

**Charlie**

"You were encouraging your brother to break the rules! If he gets in trouble it's your fault!" Mrs. Weasley shouted.

**They looked at one another.**

**"We've got the invisibility cloak," said Harry. "It shouldn't be too difficult - I think the cloaks big enough to cover two of us and Norbert."**

**It was a mark of how bad the last week had been that the other two agreed with him. Anything to get rid of Norbert - and Malfoy.**

**There was a hitch. By the next morning, Ron's bitten hand had swollen to twice its usual size. He didn't know whether it was safe to go to Madam Pomfrey - would she recognize a dragon bite? By the afternoon, though, he had no choice. The cut had turned a nasty shade of green. It looked as if Norbert's fangs were poisonous.**

"You should have gone the second it bite you," Charlie said knowingly.

**Harry and Hermione rushed up to the hospital wing at the end of the day to find Ron in a terrible state in bed.**

"Why didn't I get an owl if it was bad?" Mrs. Weasley demanded.

"Because the wasn't why I was upset," Ron explained.

**"It's not just my hand," he whispered, "although that feels like it's about to fall off. Malfoy told Madam Pomfrey he wanted to borrow one of my books so he could come and have a good laugh at me. He kept threatening to tell her what really bit me - I've told her it was a dog, but I don't think she believes me -I shouldn't have hit him at the Quidditch match, that's why he's doing this."**

**Harry and Hermione tried to calm Ron down.**

**"It'll all be over at midnight on Saturday," said Hermione, but this didn't soothe Ron at all. On the contrary, he sat bolt upright and broke into a sweat.**

**"Midnight on Saturday!" he said in a hoarse voice. "Oh no oh no - I've just remembered - Charlie's letter was in that book Malfoy took, he's going to know we're getting rid of Norbert."**

**Harry and Hermione didn't get a chance to answer. Madam Pomfrey came over at that moment and made them leave, saying Ron needed sleep.**

**"It's too late to change the plan now," Harry told Hermione. "We haven't got time to send Charlie another owl, and this could be our only chance to get rid of Norbert. We'll have to risk it. And we have got the invisibility cloak, Malfoy doesn't know about that."**

**They found Fang, the boarhound, sitting outside with a bandaged tail when they went to tell Hagrid, who opened a window to talk to them.**

**"I won't let you in," he puffed. "Norbert's at a tricky stage - nothin' I can't handle."**

**When they told him about Charlie's letter, his eyes filled with tears, although that might have been because Norbert had just bitten him on the leg.**

**"Aargh! It's all right, he only got my boot - jus' playin' - he's only a baby, after all."**

Older Remus shook his head.

**The baby banged its tail on the wall, making the windows rattle. Harry and Hermione walked back to the castle feeling Saturday couldn't come quickly enough.**

**They would have felt sorry for Hagrid when the time came for him to say good-bye to Norbert if they hadn't been so worried about what they had to do. It was a very dark, cloudy night, and they were a bit late arriving at Hagrid's hut because they'd had to wait for Peeves to get out of their way in the entrance hall, where he'd been playing tennis against the wall. Hagrid had Norbert packed and ready in a large crate.**

**"He's got lots o' rats an' some brandy fer the journey," said Hagrid in a muffled voice. "An' I've packed his teddy bear in case he gets lonely."**

"Teddy bear?" Justine muttered.

Ernie shrugged.

**From inside the crate came ripping noises that sounded to Harry as though the teddy was having his head torn off.**

Young Sirius snorted.

**"Bye-bye, Norbert!" Hagrid sobbed, as Harry and Hermione covered the crate with the invisibility cloak and stepped underneath it themselves. "Mommy will never forget you!"**

"I hope he gets over the mommy thing soon," George whispered.

**How they managed to get the crate back up to the castle, they never knew. Midnight ticked nearer as they heaved Norbert up the marble staircase in the entrance hall and along the dark corridors. UP another staircase, then another - even one of Harry's shortcuts didn't make the work much easier.**

**"Nearly there!" Harry panted as they reached the corridor beneath the tallest tower.**

**Then a sudden movement ahead of them made them almost drop the crate. Forgetting that they were already invisible, they shrank into the shadows, staring at the dark outlines of two people grappling with each other ten feet away. A lamp flared.**

**Professor McGonagall, in a tartan bathrobe and a hair net, had Malfoy by the ear.**

The hall burst out laughing.

**"Detention!" she shouted. "And twenty points from Slytherin! Wandering around in the middle of the night, how dare you -"**

"Haha! Take that!" young James shouted.

**"You don't understand, Professor. Harry Potter's coming - he's got a dragon!"**

**"What utter rubbish! How dare you tell such lies! Come on - I shall see Professor Snape about you, Malfoy!"**

"I cannot believe that was true," McGonagall said.

"With us, it usually is," Hermione said.

"So that rumor about you three breaking into-" McGonagall started.

"Shhhhhh!" Harry and Ron interrupted,.

"I'll take that as a yes," McGonagall said.

Older Remus looked at the trio liked he'd never seen them before.

"What?" Harry asked.

"You're nuts," older Remus stated.

"What else is new?" Neville snorted.

**The steep spiral staircase up to the top of the tower seemed the easiest thing in the world after that. Not until they'd stepped out into the cold night air did they throw off the cloak, glad to be able to breathe properly again. Hermione did a sort of jig.**

A few people laughed.

**"Malfoy's got detention! I could sing!"**

**"Don't," Harry advised her.**

"Yeah, you're a terrible singer," Ginny said.

"I am not!" Hermione cried.

"Yes you are," everyone said.

"Huff."

**Chuckling about Malfoy, they waited, Norbert thrashing about in his crate. About ten minutes later, four broomsticks came swooping down out of the darkness.**

**Charlie's friends were a cheery lot. They showed Harry and Hermione the harness they'd rigged up, so they could suspend Norbert between them. They all helped buckle Norbert safely into it and then Harry and Hermione shook hands with the others and thanked them very much.**

**At last, Norbert was going... going... gone.**

"It wasn't soon enough for me," Ron murmured.

**They slipped back down the spiral staircase, their hearts as light as their hands, now that Norbert was off them. No more dragon - Malfoy in detention - what could spoil their happiness?**

"With your luck so many things could go wrong here," Ginny said.

"It did," Harry replied.

**The answer to that was waiting at the foot of the stairs. As they stepped into the corridor, Filch's face loomed suddenly out of the darkness.**

"You have the invisibility cloak so that doesn't matter," older James said.

**"Well, well, well," he whispered, "we are in trouble."**

"How did he see you?" older Sirius demanded.

**They'd left the invisibility cloak on top of the tower.**

"Ohhhhh," older Sirius said.

"That's the end of the chapter," Cho said.

_AN: Happy New Year!_

_~ Pottergirl3333_


	16. The Forbidden Forest

_Disclaimer: I don't own Harry Potter._

"Who's going to read next?" Cho asked.

"I'll do it," Luna answered.

**THE FORIBIDDEN FOREST**

**Things couldn't have been worse.**

"Things can always be worst," Moody grunted.

**Filch took them down to Professor McGonagall's study on the first floor, where they sat and waited without saying a word to each other. Hermione was trembling. Excuses, alibis, and wild cover- up stories chased each other around Harry's brain, each more feeble than the last.**

"You really need to work on that," older Sirius commented.

"You don't get in trouble much do you?" young James asked.

Harry and Hermione shrugged.

** He couldn't see how they were going to get out of trouble this time. They were cornered. How could they have been so stupid as to forget the cloak?**

"Rookie mistake," older James stated.

** There was no reason on earth that Professor McGonagall would accept for their being out of bed and creeping around the school in the dead of night, let alone being up the tallest astronomy tower, which was out-of-bounds except for classes.**

"If I had known it was due to a dragon I would have done worst," McGonagall huffed.

** Add Norbert and the invisibility cloak, and they might as well be packing their bags already.**

**Had Harry thought that things couldn't have been worse? He was wrong. When Professor McGonagall appeared, she was leading Neville.**

"What were you doing?" Frank asked.

"You'll see," Neville replied.

**"Harry!" Neville burst Out, the moment he saw the other two. "I was trying to find you to warn you, I heard Malfoy saying he was going to catch you, he said you had a drag -"**

**Harry shook his head violently to shut Neville up, but Professor McGonagall had seen. She looked more likely to breathe fire than Norbert as she towered over the three of them.**

"I've seen that look a few times," both sets of Marauders and the twins said.

**"I would never have believed it of any of you. Mr. Filch says you were up in the astronomy tower. It's one o'clock in the morning. Explain yourselves."**

"Well, um, I don't think that you would've believed of us if we told you," Harry said.

**It was the first time Hermione had ever failed to answer a teacher's question. She was staring at her slippers, as still as a statue.**

"I was so ashamed," Hermione said, shaking her head.

**"I think I've got a good idea of what's been going on," said Professor McGonagall. **

"You had it figured out?" young Sirius asked in shock.

"No, I thought I did, but I was way off," McGonagall replied.

**"It doesn't take a genius to work it out. You fed Draco Malfoy some cock-and-bull story about a dragon, trying to get him out of bed and into trouble. I've already caught him. I suppose you think it's funny that Longbottom here heard the story and believed it, too?"**

"It was nothing like that. I would never want Neville to get in trouble," Harry said.

**Harry caught Neville's eye and tried to tell him without words that this wasn't true, because Neville was looking stunned and hurt.**

"It's okay Harry. I know you would never do anything like that," Neville said.

** Poor, blundering Neville - Harry knew what it must have cost him to try and find them in the dark, to warn them.**

Frank glared at Harry.

"Well, that was very rude!" Alice cried.

"I'm sorry. It's not like I said it out loud or anything. I didn't realize people would later be reading my thoughts," Harry snapped.

Alice looked a little taken back, "Sorry Harry."

**"I'm disgusted," said Professor McGonagall. "Four students out of bed in one night! I've never heard of such a thing before! You, Miss Granger, I thought you had more sense. As for you, Mr. Potter, I thought Gryffindor meant more to you than this."**

"That's a low blow," Fred said.

**" All three of you will receive detentions - yes, you too, Mr. Longbottom, nothing gives you the right to walk around school at night, especially these days, it's very dangerous"**

"That's not fair! They didn't know why it was dangerous!" Hannah exclaimed.

McGonagall gave her a look.

"Well, they weren't suppose too, and Neville didn't know," Hannah corrected.

"She's right," Micheal agreed.

** - and fifty points will be taken from Gryffindor."**

"There goes the lead," young James sighed.

**"Fifty?" Harry gasped, they would lose the lead, the lead he'd won in the last Quidditch match.**

"Don't question her. It'll just get worst," older Remus groaned.

**"Fifty points each," said Professor McGonagall, breathing heavily through her long, pointed nose.**

"That's a little harsh," Mr. Weasley said.

"It was one in the morning!" McGonagall pointed out.

**"Professor - please"**

**"You can't -"**

**"Don't tell me what I can and can't do, Potter. Now get back to bed, all of you. I've never been more ashamed of Gryffindor students."**

**A hundred and fifty points lost. That put Gryffindor in last place. In one night, they'd ruined any chance Gryffindor had had for the house cup. Harry felt as though the bottom had dropped out of his stomach. How could they ever make up for this?**  
"It was all my fault! I'm sorry Harry!" Hagrid sobbed.

**Harry didn't sleep all night. He could hear Neville sobbing into his pillow for what seemed like hours. Harry couldn't think of anything to say to comfort him. He knew Neville, like himself, was dreading the dawn. What would happen when the rest of Gryffindor found out what they'd done?**

"We'd be ignored by everyone," Hermione whispered.

**At first, Gryffindors passing the giant hourglasses that recorded the house points the next day thought there'd been a mistake. How could they suddenly have a hundred and fifty points fewer than yesterday? And then the story started to spread: Harry Potter, the famous Harry Potter, their hero of two Quidditch matches, had lost them all those points, him and a couple of other stupid first years.**

**From being one of the most popular and admired people at the school, Harry was suddenly the most hated. **

Hagrid sobbed harder.

**Even Ravenclaws and Hufflepuffs turned on him, because everyone had been longing to see Slytherin lose the house cup. Everywhere Harry went, people pointed and didn't trouble to lower their voices as they insulted him.**

"Why didn't you say anything?" McGonagall demanded.

"I deserved it. I lost Gryffindor all our points," Harry said.

** Slytherins, on the other hand, clapped as he walked past them, whistling and cheering, "Thanks Potter, we owe you one!"**

"I had no idea that it would be so bad," McGonagall gasped.

**Only Ron stood by him.**

"Like a good friend should," older James nodded approvingly.

**"They'll all forget this in a few weeks. Fred and George have lost loads of points in all the time they've been here, and people still like them."**

**"They've never lost a hundred and fifty points in one go, though, have they?" said Harry miserably.**

**"Well - no," Ron admitted.**

**It was a bit late to repair the damage, but Harry swore to himself not to meddle in things that weren't his business from now on. He'd had it with sneaking around and spying.**

"And how long did that last you?" Snape asked.

"At least I tried!" Harry pointed out.

Older Lily sighed.

** He felt so ashamed of himself that he went to Wood and offered to resign from the Quidditch team.**

"NO! YOU CAN'T! NOT THE QUIDDITCH TEAM!" young James shouted.

"SHUT IT!" young Lily screamed.

**"Resign?" Wood thundered. "What good'll that do? How are we going to get any points back if we can't win at Quidditch?"**

**But even Quidditch had lost its fun.**

"I AM DISOWNING YOU! YOU CAN'T BE MY SON AND NOT LIKE QUIDDITCH!" young James shouted.

"Don't listen to him," older James muttered to Harry.

"I'm not," Harry shrugged.

** The rest of the team wouldn't speak to Harry during practice, and if they had to speak about him, they called him "the Seeker."**

"Sorry Harry," the Quidditch team said together.

"It's okay," Harry shrugged.

"It's not. You were just helping a friend and we were very rude to you," Alicia said.

**Hermione and Neville were suffering, too. They didn't have as bad a time as Harry, because they weren't as well-known, but nobody would speak to them, either. Hermione had stopped drawing attention to herself in class, keeping her head down and working in silence.**

"I should have known something was bothering her," McGonagall muttered, disgusted at herself.

**Harry was almost glad that the exams weren't far away. All the studying he had to do kept his mind off his misery. He, Ron, and Hermione kept to themselves, working late into the night, trying to remember the ingredients in complicated potions, learn charms and spells by heart, memorize the dates of magical discoveries and goblin rebellions...**

**Then, about a week before the exams were due to start, Harry's new resolution not to interfere in anything that didn't concern him was put to an unexpected test. Walking back from the library on his own one afternoon, he heard somebody whimpering from a classroom up ahead. As he drew closer, he heard Quirrell's voice.**

**"No - no - not again, please -"**

"What are you doing to the poor man?" older James asked Snape.

"I wasn't doing anything!" Snape snapped.

**It sounded as though someone was threatening him. Harry moved closer.**

**"All right - all right -" he heard Quirrell sob.**

"It's a good thing they didn't know I was there. I'd have been dead," Harry whispered.

Ron and Hermione nodded.

**Next second, Quirrell came hurrying out of the classroom straightening his turban. He was pale and looked as though he was about to cry. He strode out of sight; Harry didn't think Quirrell had even noticed him.**

"Good thing too," Ron muttered.

** He waited until Quirrell's footsteps had disappeared, then peered into the classroom. It was empty, but a door stood ajar at the other end. Harry was halfway toward it before he remembered what he'd promised himself about not meddling.**

Older Sirius snorted.

**All the same, he'd have gambled twelve Sorcerer's Stones that Snape had just left the room, and from what Harry had just heard, Snape would be walking with a new spring in his step - Quirrell seemed to have given in at last.**

"It's a really good thing nobody is taking any of these bets I came up with," Harry said.

Hermione and Ron laughed.

**Harry went back to the library, where Hermione was testing Ron on Astronomy. Harry told them what he'd heard.**

**"Snape's done it, then!" said Ron. "If Quirrell's told him how to break his Anti-Dark Force spell -"**

**"There's still Fluffy, though," said Hermione.**

**"Maybe Snape's found out how to get past him without asking Hagrid," said Ron, looking up at the thousands of books surrounding them. "I bet there's a book somewhere in here telling you how to get past a giant three-headed dog. So what do we do, Harry?"**

**The light of adventure was kindling again in Ron's eyes, but Hermione answered before Harry could.**

**"Go to Dumbledore. That's what we should have done ages ago. If we try anything ourselves we'll be thrown out for sure."**

**"But we've got no proof!" said Harry. "Quirrell's too scared to back us up. Snape's only got to say he doesn't know how the troll got in at Halloween and that he was nowhere near the third floor - who do you think they'll believe, him or us? It's not exactly a secret we hate him, Dumbledore'll think we made it up to get him sacked. Filch wouldn't help us if his life depended on it, he's too friendly with Snape,"**

"Very friendly," young Sirius said, wagging his eyebrows.

Both Snapes groaned and everyone else laughed.

** and the more students get thrown out, the better, he'll think. And don't forget, we're not supposed to know about the Stone or Fluffy. That'll take a lot of explaining."**

**Hermione looked convinced, but Ron didn't.**

**"If we just do a bit of poking around -"**

**"No," said Harry flatly, "we've done enough poking around."**

"Did you just say that he wasn't going to poke around?" Snape asked in disbelief.

"Yep, I already told you. I really did try to stop messing around, but I had to," Harry explained.

"Sure you did," older Lily said suspiciously.

**He pulled a map of Jupiter toward him and started to learn the names of its moons.**

**The following morning, notes were delivered to Harry, Hermione, and Neville at the breakfast table. They were all the same:**

**Your detention will take place at eleven o'clock tonight. Meet Mr. Filch in the entrance hall.**

"What in the world do you need done at 11 at night?" Alice asked.

"Didn't they get in trouble for being out at night?" older Lily asked.

"Yeah, what's the point of having them out so late?" older Remus demanded.

**Professor McGonagall Harry had forgotten they still had detentions to do in the furor over the points they'd lost. He half expected Hermione to complain that this was a whole night of studying lost, but she didn't say a word. Like Harry, she felt they deserved what they'd got.**

"I don't think so," older Sirius growled.

**At eleven o'clock that night, they said good-bye to Ron in the common room and went down to the entrance hall with Neville. Filch was already there - and so was Malfoy. Harry had also forgotten that Malfoy had gotten a detention, too.**

"At least that's one good thing," young Sirius sighed.

**"Follow me," said Filch, lighting a lamp and leading them outside.**

**"I bet you'll think twice about breaking a school rule again, won't you, eh?"**

Tonks snorted.

** he said, leering at them. "Oh yes... hard work and pain are the best teachers if you ask me... It's just a pity they let the old punishments die out... hang you by your wrists from the ceiling for a few days, I've got the chains still in my office, keep 'em well oiled in case they're ever needed... Right, off we go, and don't think of running off, now, it'll be worse for you if you do."**

"It's not his job to lecture them!" older Lily cried.

**They marched off across the dark grounds. Neville kept sniffing.**

**Harry wondered what their punishment was going to be. It must be something really horrible, or Filch wouldn't be sounding so delighted.**

**The moon was bright, but clouds scudding across it kept throwing them into darkness. Ahead, Harry could see the lighted windows of Hagrid's hut. Then they heard a distant shout.**

**"Is that you, Filch? Hurry up, I want ter get started."**

**Harry's heart rose; if they were going to be working with Hagrid it wouldn't be so bad. His relief must have showed in his -face, because Filch said, "I suppose you think you'll be enjoying yourself with that oaf? **

"HAGRID IS NOT AN OAF!" was shouted by many people.

**"Well, think again, boy - it's into the forest you're going and I'm much mistaken if you'll all come out in one piece."**

"You sent them into the forest?" older James asked in a dangerous voice.

"In the middle of the night!" Mr. Weasley added.

"While there is a madman on the lose!" Frank shouted.

"I thought it was for the best," McGonagall said.

**At this, Neville let out a little moan, and Malfoy stopped dead in his tracks.**

**"The forest?" he repeated, and he didn't sound quite as cool as usual. "We can't go in there at night - there's all sorts of things in there - werewolves, I heard."**

"Not anymore," Harry smirked.

Older Remus snorted.

**Neville clutched the sleeve of Harry's robe and made a choking noise.**

Neville blushed.

**"That's your problem, isn't it?" said Filch, his voice cracking with glee. "Should've thought of them werewolves before you got in trouble, shouldn't you?"**

"There is no werewolves in the forest," McGonagall scoffed.

"That's what she thinks," young Remus whispered.

Young Sirius and James started laughing.

**Hagrid came striding toward them out of the dark, Fang at his heel. He was carrying his large crossbow, and a quiver of arrows hung over his shoulder.**

**"Abou' time," he said. "I bin waitin' fer half an hour already. All right, Harry, Hermione?"**

**"I shouldn't be too friendly to them, Hagrid," said Filch coldly, "They're here to be punished, after all."**

**"That's why yer late, is it?" said Hagrid, frowning at Filch. "Bin lecturin' them, eh? 'Snot your place ter do that. Yeh've done yer bit, I'll take over from here."**

**"I'll be back at dawn," said Filch, "for what's left of them," he added nastily,**

Older Sirius growled.

** and he turned and started back toward the castle, his lamp bobbing away in the darkness.**

**Malfoy now turned to Hagrid.**

**"I'm not going in that forest," he said, and Harry was pleased to hear the note of panic in his voice.**

"Coward," young James snorted.

**"Yeh are if yeh want ter stay at Hogwarts," said Hagrid fiercely. "Yeh've done wrong an' now yehve got ter pay fer it."**

**"But this is servant stuff, it's not for students to do. I thought we'd be copying lines or something, if my father knew I was doing this, he'd-"**

**"tell yer that's how it is at Hogwarts," Hagrid growled. "Copyin' lines! What good's that ter anyone? Yeh'll do summat useful or Yeh'll get out. If yeh think yer father'd rather you were expelled, then get back off ter the castle an' pack. Go on"'**

**Malfoy didn't move. He looked at Hagrid furiously, but then dropped his gaze.**

Young James and Sirius were laughing.

**"Right then," said Hagrid, "now, listen carefully, 'cause it's dangerous what we're gonna do tonight,**

"If it's dangerous why are they doing it?" Mrs. Weasley asked.

** an' I don' want no one takin' risks. Follow me over here a moment."**

**He led them to the very edge of the forest. Holding his lamp up high, he pointed down a narrow, winding earth track that disappeared into the thick black trees. A light breeze lifted their hair as they looked into the forest.**

**"Look there," said Hagrid, "see that stuff shinin' on the ground? Silvery stuff?"**

"Unicorn blood," young Lily said.

** "That's unicorn blood. There's a unicorn in there bin hurt badly by summat."**

"What would hurt a unicorn?" older Lily asked.

** "This is the second time in a week. I found one dead last Wednesday."**

"Oh my Merlin," Padma gasped.

**"We're gonna try an' find the poor thing. We might have ter put it out of its misery."**

"I hope we don't have to read about that,"Lavender said.

**"And what if whatever hurt the unicorn finds us first?" said Malfoy, unable to keep the fear out of his voice.**

"If it hurts you I don't care, if it hurts Neville, Hermione, or Harry than we're going to have a problem," older Sirius growled.

**"There's nothin' that lives in the forest that'll hurt yeh if yer with me or Fang," said Hagrid. "An' keep ter the path. Right, now, we're gonna split inter two parties an' follow the trail in diff'rent directions.**

"You can't split up!" Tonks exclaimed.

** There's blood all over the place, it must've bin staggerin' around since last night at least."**

"They shouldn't be in there," older Remus muttered.

**"I want Fang," said Malfoy quickly, looking at Fang's long teeth.**

"Fang's a coward," Charlie snorted.

**"All right, but I warn yeh, he's a coward," said Hagrid. " So me, Harry, an' Hermione'll go one way an' Draco, Neville, an' Fang'll go the other. Now, if any of us finds the unicorn, we'll send up green sparks, right? Get yer wands out an' practice now - that's it - an' if anyone gets in trouble, send up red sparks, an' we'll all come an' find yeh - so, be careful - let's go."**

**The forest was black and silent. A little way into it they reached a fork in the earth path, and Harry, Hermione, and Hagrid took the left path while Malfoy, Neville, and Fang took the right.**

**They walked in silence, their eyes on the ground. Every now and then a ray of moonlight through the branches above lit a spot of silver-blue blood on the fallen leaves.**

**Harry saw that Hagrid looked very worried.**

**"Could a werewolf be killing the unicorns?" Harry asked.**

"No," young Remus said.

**"Not fast enough," said Hagrid. "It's not easy ter catch a unicorn, they're powerful magic creatures. I never knew one ter be hurt before."**

"This is bad," older James muttered.

**They walked past a mossy tree stump. Harry could hear running water; there must be a stream somewhere close by. There were still spots of unicorn blood here and there along the winding path.**

**"You all right, Hermione?" Hagrid whispered. "Don' worry, it can't've gone far if it's this badly hurt, an' then we'll be able ter - GET BEHIND THAT TREE!"**

"What is it?" older Lily asked.

**Hagrid seized Harry and Hermione and hoisted them off the path behind a towering oak. He pulled out an arrow and fitted it into his crossbow, raising it, ready to fire. The three of them listened. Something was slithering over dead leaves nearby: it sounded like a cloak trailing along the ground. **

Hannah gasped.

**Hagrid was squinting up the dark path, but after a few seconds, the sound faded away.**

**"I knew it, " he murmured. "There's summat in here that shouldn' be."**

"Like four first years?" Mr. Weasley asked.

**"A werewolf?" Harry suggested.**

"No," young Remus repeated.

**"That wasn' no werewolf an' it wasn' no unicorn, neither," said Hagrid grimly. "Right, follow me, but careful, now."**

**They walked more slowly, ears straining for the faintest sound. Suddenly, in a clearing ahead, something definitely moved.**

**"Who's there?" Hagrid called. "Show yerself - I'm armed!"**

"Oh no," Alice muttered.

**And into the clearing came - was it a man, or a horse? To the waist, a man, with red hair and beard, but below that was a horse's gleaming chestnut body with a long, reddish tail. Harry and Hermione's jaws dropped.**

**"Oh, it's you, Ronan," said Hagrid in relief. "How are yeh?"**

**He walked forward and shook the centaur's hand.**

**"Good evening to you, Hagrid," said Ronan. He had a deep, sorrowful voice. "Were you going to shoot me?"**

**"Can't be too careful, Ronan," said Hagrid, patting his crossbow. "There's summat bad loose in this forest. This is Harry Potter an' Hermione Granger, by the way. Students up at the school. An' this is Ronan, you two. He's a centaur.**

"I think they figured that out," young Sirius snorted.

**"We'd noticed," said Hermione faintly.**

**"Good evening," said Ronan. "Students, are you? And do you learn much, up at the school?"**

**"Erm -"**

**"A bit," said Hermione timidly.**

"A bit," Terry laughed.

"If Hermione has only learned a bit than the rest of us have learned nothing," Seamus laughed.

**"A bit. Well, that's something." Ronan sighed. He flung back his head and stared at the sky. "Mars is bright tonight."**

**"Yeah," said Hagrid, glancing up, too. "Listen, I'm glad we've run inter yeh, Ronan, 'cause there's a unicorn bin hurt - you seen anythin'?"**

**Ronan didn't answer immediately. He stared unblinkingly upward, then sighed again.**

**"Always the innocent are the first victims," he said. "So it has been for ages past, so it is now."**

**"Yeah," said Hagrid, "but have yeh seen anythin', Ronan? Anythin' unusual?"**

**"Mars is bright tonight," Ronan repeated, while Hagrid watched him impatiently. "Unusually bright."**  
"Typical centaur," older James muttered.

**"Yeah, but I was meanin' anythin' unusual a bit nearer home, said Hagrid. "So yeh haven't noticed anythin' strange?"**

**Yet again, Ronan took a while to answer. At last, he said, "The forest hides many secrets."**

"That tells us so very much," older Sirius said sarcastically.

**A movement in the trees behind Ronan made Hagrid raise his bow again, but it was only a second centaur, black-haired and -bodied and wilder-looking than Ronan.**

**"Hullo, Bane," said Hagrid. "All right?"**

**"Good evening, Hagrid, I hope you are well?"**

**"Well enough. Look, I've jus' bin askin' Ronan, you seen anythin' odd in here lately? There's a unicorn bin injured - would yeh know anythin' about it?"**

**Bane walked over to stand next to Ronan. He looked skyward. **

"Mars is bright tonight," Harry said dully.

**"Mars is bright tonight," he said simply.**

**"We've heard," said Hagrid grumpily. "Well, if either of you do see anythin', let me know, won't yeh? We'll be off, then."**

**Harry and Hermione followed him out of the clearing, staring over their shoulders at Ronan and Bane until the trees blocked their view.**

**"Never," said Hagrid irritably, "try an' get a straight answer out of a centaur. Ruddy stargazers. Not interested in anythin' closer'n the moon."**

"That is so true," young James agreed.

"I've met some that care about more than the stars," Harry said.

**"Are there many of them in here?" asked Hermione.**

**"Oh, a fair few... Keep themselves to themselves mostly, but they're good enough about turnin' up if ever I want a word. They're deep, mind, centaurs... they know things... jus' don' let on much."**

"Some do," Harry said.

**"D'you think that was a centaur we heard earlier?" said Harry.**

**"Did that sound like hooves to you? Nah, if yeh ask me, that was what's bin killin' the unicorns - never heard anythin' like it before."**

**They walked on through the dense, dark trees. Harry kept looking nervously over his shoulder. He had the nasty feeling they were being watched. He was very glad they had Hagrid and his crossbow with them. They had just passed a bend in the path when Hermione grabbed Hagrid's arm.**

**"Hagrid! Look! Red sparks, the others are in trouble!"**

"NEVILLE!"Alice screamed.

**"You two wait here!" Hagrid shouted. "Stay on the path, I'll come back for yeh!"**

"You can't leave them alone!" older Lily cried.

**They heard him crashing away through the undergrowth and stood looking at each other, very scared, until they couldn't hear anything but the rustling of leaves around them.**

**"You don't think they've been hurt, do you?" whispered Hermione.**

**"I don't care if Malfoy has, but if something's got Neville... it's our fault he's here in the first place."**

"It wasn't your fault," Neville said.

"Yes it was," Harry said.

Neville opened his mouth to argue.

"Not point arguing with him. Everything is his fault," Hermione said.

**The minutes dragged by. Their ears seemed sharper than usual. Harry's seemed to be picking up every sigh of the wind, every cracking twig. What was going on? Where were the others?**

**At last, a great crunching noise announced Hagrid's return. Malfoy, Neville, and Fang were with him. Hagrid was fuming. Malfoy, it seemed, had sneaked up behind Neville and grabbed him as a joke. Neville had panicked and sent up the sparks.**

"That jerk," Frank growled.

"Stupid," Moody grunted.

**"We'll be lucky ter catch anythin' now, with the racket you two were makin'. Right, we're changin' groups - Neville, you stay with me an' Hermione, Harry, you go with Fang an' this idiot. I'm sorry," Hagrid added in a whisper to Harry, "but he'll have a harder time frightenin' you, an' we've gotta get this done."**

**So Harry set off into the heart of the forest with Malfoy and Fang. They walked for nearly half an hour, deeper and deeper into the forest, until the path became almost impossible to follow because the trees were so thick. Harry thought the blood seemed to be getting thicker. There were splashes on the roots of a tree, as though the poor creature had been thrashing around in pain close by. Harry could see a clearing ahead, through the tangled branches of an ancient oak.**

**"Look -" he murmured, holding out his arm to stop Malfoy.**

**Something bright white was gleaming on the ground. They inched closer.**

**It was the unicorn all right, and it was dead.**

"Get out of there before the thing that killed it comes after you!" Mrs. Weasley cried.

** Harry had never seen anything so beautiful and sad. Its long, slender legs were stuck out at odd angles where it had fallen and its mane was spread pearly-white on the dark leaves.**

"Aww," Lavender gasped.

**Harry had taken one step toward it when a slithering sound made him freeze where he stood. A bush on the edge of the clearing quivered... Then, out of the shadows, a hooded figure came crawling across the ground like some stalking beast.**

"RUN!" older James shouted.

** Harry, Malfoy, and Fang stood transfixed. The cloaked figure reached the unicorn, lowered its head over the wound in the animal's side, and began to drink its blood.**

"Oh my," Mrs. Weasley cried.

**"AAAAAAAAAARGH!"**

**Malfoy let out a terrible scream and bolted - so did Fang.**

"GO!" older Sirius yelled.

** The hooded figure raised its head and looked right at Harry - unicorn blood was dribbling down its front. It got to its feet and came swiftly toward Harry - he couldn't move for fear.**

"Foolish," Moody grunted.

McGonagall glared at him.

**Then a pain like he'd never felt before pierced his head; it was as though his scar were on fire.**

"What's happening?" older Lily demanded.

** Half blinded, he staggered backward. He heard hooves behind him, galloping, and something jumped clean over Harry, charging at the figure.**

"Please be okay," Mrs. Weasley whispered.

**The pain in Harry's head was so bad he fell to his knees. It took a minute or two to pass. When he looked up, the figure had gone.**

"Thank Merlin," older Remus sighed.

** A centaur was standing over him, not Ronan or Bane; this one looked younger; he had white-blond hair and a palomino body.**

**"Are you all right?" said the centaur, pulling Harry to his feet.**

**"Yes - thank you - what was that?"**

**The centaur didn't answer. He had astonishingly blue eyes, like pale sapphires. He looked carefully at Harry, his eyes lingering on the scar that stood out, livid, on Harry's forehead.**

**"You are the Potter boy," he said. "You had better get back to Hagrid. The forest is not safe at this time - especially for you. Can you ride? It will be quicker this way."**

**"My name is Firenze," he added, as he lowered himself on to his front legs so that Harry could clamber onto his back.**

**There was suddenly a sound of more galloping from the other side of the clearing. Ronan and Bane came bursting through the trees, their flanks heaving and sweaty.**

**"Firenze!" Bane thundered. "What are you doing? You have a human on your back! Have you no shame? Are you a common mule?"**

**"Do you realize who this is?" said Firenze. "This is the Potter boy. The quicker he leaves this forest, the better."**

**"What have you been telling him?" growled Bane. "Remember, Firenze, we are sworn not to set ourselves against the heavens. Have we not read what is to come in the movements of the planets?"**

**Ronan pawed the ground nervously. "I'm sure Firenze thought he was acting for the best, " he said in his gloomy voice.**

"It's a good thing he was there," Ginny said.

**Bane kicked his back legs in anger.**

**"For the best! What is that to do with us? Centaurs are concerned with what has been foretold! It is not our business to run around like donkeys after stray humans in our forest!"**

**Firenze suddenly reared on to his hind legs in anger, so that Harry had to grab his shoulders to stay on.**

**"Do you not see that unicorn?" Firenze bellowed at Bane. "Do you not understand why it was killed? Or have the planets not let you in on that secret? I set myself against what is lurking in this forest, Bane, yes, with humans alongside me if I must."**

"I like him," young James stated.

**And Firenze whisked around; with Harry clutching on as best he could, they plunged off into the trees, leaving Ronan and Bane behind them.**

**Harry didn't have a clue what was going on.**

**"Why's Bane so angry?" he asked. "What was that thing you saved me from, anyway?"**

**Firenze slowed to a walk, warned Harry to keep his head bowed in case of low-hanging branches, but did not answer Harry's question. They made their way through the trees in silence for so long that Harry thought Firenze didn't want to talk to him anymore. They were passing through a particularly dense patch of trees, however, when Firenze suddenly stopped.**

**"Harry Potter, do you know what unicorn blood is used -for?"**

**"No," said Harry, startled by the odd question. "We've only used the horn and tail hair in Potions."**

**"That is because it is a monstrous thing, to slay a unicorn," said Firenze. "Only one who has nothing to lose, and everything to gain, would commit such a crime. The blood of a unicorn will keep you alive, even if you are an inch from death, but at a terrible price. You have slain something pure and defenseless to save yourself, and you will have but a half-life, a cursed life, from the moment the blood touches your lips."**

**Harry stared at the back of Firenze's head, which was dappled silver in the moonlight.**

**"But who'd be that desperate?" he wondered aloud. "If you're going to be cursed forever, deaths better, isn't it?"**

**"It is," Firenze agreed, "unless all you need is to stay alive long enough to drink something else - something that will bring you back to full strength and power - something that will mean you can never die. Mr. Potter, do you know what is hidden in the school at this very moment?"**

**"The Sorcerer's Stone! Of course - the Elixir of Life! But I don't understand who -"**

"Voldemort," older James growled.

**"Can you think of nobody who has waited many years to return to power, who has clung to life, awaiting their chance?"**

**It was as though an iron fist had clenched suddenly around Harry's heart. Over the rustling of the trees, he seemed to hear once more what Hagrid had told him on the night they had met: "Some say he died. Codswallop, in my opinion. Dunno if he had enough human left in him to die."**

**"Do you mean," Harry croaked, "that was Vol-"**

**"Harry! Harry, are you all right?"**

**Hermione was running toward them down the path, Hagrid puffing along behind her.**

**"I'm fine," said Harry, hardly knowing what he was saying. "The unicorn's dead, Hagrid, it's in that clearing back there."**

**"This is where I leave you," Firenze murmured as Hagrid hurried off to examine the unicorn. "You are safe now."**

**Harry slid off his back.**

**"Good luck, Harry Potter," said Firenze. "The planets have been read wrongly before now, even by centaurs. I hope this is one of those times."**

"Thank Merlin it was," Hermione muttered.

**He turned and cantered back into the depths of the forest, leaving Harry shivering behind him.**

**Ron had fallen asleep in the dark common room, waiting for them to return.**

"Like a good friend should," older James said.

** He shouted something about Quidditch fouls when Harry roughly shook him awake.**

Fred and George snorted.

** In a matter of seconds, though, he was wide-eyed as Harry began to tell him and Hermione what had happened in the forest.**

**Harry couldn't sit down. He paced up and down in front of the fire. He was still shaking.**

"I would be too," Cho muttered.

**"Snape wants the stone for Voldemort... and Voldemort's waiting in the forest... and all this time we thought Snape just wanted to get rich..."**

"No, Quirrell wanted the stone" Hermione muttered.

**"Stop saying the name!" said Ron in a terrified whisper, as if he thought Voldemort could hear them.**

"It's just a name," Harry shrugged.

**Harry wasn't listening.**

**"Firenze saved me, but he shouldn't have done so... Bane was furious... he was talking about interfering with what the planets say is going to happen... They must show that Voldemort's coming back... Bane thinks Firenze should have let Voldemort kill me... I suppose that's written in the stars as well."**

**"Will you stop saying the name!" Ron hissed.**

**"So all I've got to wait for now is Snape to steal the Stone,"**

"Quirrell," Ron corrected.

** Harry went on feverishly, "then Voldemort will be able to come and finish me off..."**

"No he won't," Ginny said.

** "Well, I suppose Bane'll be happy."**

"He actually didn't look that happy earlier when you know," Harry whispered to Hermione and Ron.

"Please don't go there. I don't think I can take thinking about that," Hermione whispered.

Ron and Harry hugged her.

**Hermione looked very frightened, but she had a word of comfort.**

**"Harry, everyone says Dumbledore's the only one You-Know-Who was ever afraid of With Dumbledore around, You-Know-Who won't touch you. Anyway, who says the centaurs are right? It sounds like fortune-telling to me, and Professor McGonagall says that's a very imprecise branch of magic."**

"I hope you were right and that he left Harry alone," older Lily fretted.

**The sky had turned light before they stopped talking. They went to bed exhausted, their throats sore. But the night's surprises weren't over.**

**When Harry pulled back his sheets, he found his invisibility cloak folded neatly underneath them. There was a note pinned to it:**

**Just in case.**

"You got it back!" young James exclaimed.

"That's the end of the chapter," Luna said.

_AN: Hit the 100 review mark last chapter! Thanks so much!_

_~ Pottergirl3333_


	17. Through the Trapdoor

_Disclaimer: I still don't own Harry Potter. Never will._

"Who wants to read now?" Luna asked.

"I will," Charlie answered.

**THROUGH THE TRAPDOOR**

Many of the adults groaned.

"We had a good reason," Harry said.

"I don't care, the reason will never be good enough if you are risking your life," older Lily replied.

**In years to come, Harry would never quite remember how he had managed to get through his exams when he half expected Voldemort to come bursting through the door at any moment.**

"I'm glad I didn't know," Lavender shuddered.

** Yet the days crept by, and there could be no doubt that Fluffy was still alive and well behind the locked door.**

**It was sweltering hot, especially in the large classroom where they did their written papers. They had been given special, new quills for the exams, which had been bewitched with an AntiCheating spell.**

McGonagall glared at both Siriuses.

Harry and both Jameses snorted.

**They had practical exams as well. Professor Flitwick called them one by one into his class to see if they could make a pineapple tapdance across a desk. Professor McGonagall watched them turn a mouse into a snuffbox - points were given for how pretty the snuffbox was, but taken away if it had whiskers. Snape made them all nervous, breathing down their necks while they tried to remember how to make a Forgetfulness potion.**

"Charms and Transfiguration hasn't changed in the least," older Remus commented.

**Harry did the best he could, trying to ignore the stabbing pains in his forehead, which had been bothering him ever since his trip into the forest.**

"Why didn't you tell someone?" Snape asked.

Harry shrugged.

** Neville thought Harry had a bad case of exam nerves because Harry couldn't sleep,**

"I was way off," Neville said.

** but the truth was that Harry kept being woken by his old nightmare, except that it was now worse than ever because there was a hooded figure dripping blood in it.**

"Oh, Harry," Mrs. Weasley sighed.

**Maybe it was because they hadn't seen what Harry had seen in the forest, or because they didn't have scars burning on their foreheads, but Ron and Hermione didn't seem as worried about the Stone as Harry.**

"Your right, if knew what we know now, we'd have been much more worried," Hermione said.

** The idea of Voldemort certainly scared them, but he didn't keep visiting them in dreams, and they were so busy with their studying they didn't have much time to fret about what Snape or anyone else might be up to.**

"We should have paid more attention," Ron said.

"It wouldn't have changed anything," Harry said.

**Their very last exam was History of Magic. One hour of answering questions about batty old wizards who'd invented selfstirring cauldrons and they'd be free, free for a whole wonderful week until their exam results came out. When the ghost of Professor Binns told them to put down their quills and roll up their parchment, Harry couldn't help cheering with the rest.**

"Now you don't have anything to take your mind of things," Kingsley said.

**"That was far easier than I thought it would be," said Hermione as they joined the crowds flocking out onto the sunny grounds. "I needn't have learned about the 1637 Werewolf Code of Conduct or the uprising of Elfric the Eager."**

Everyone looked at her like she was crazy.

"I like to be prepared," Hermione blushed.

**Hermione always liked to go through their exam papers afterward, but Ron said this made him feel ill,**

Bill snorted.

"Me too," older Sirius said.

** so they wandered down to the lake and flopped under a tree.**

"Great thing to do after exams," older James stated.

** The Weasley twins and Lee Jordan were tickling the tentacles of a giant squid, which was basking in the warm shallows. "No more studying," Ron sighed happily, stretching out on the grass. "You could look more cheerful, Harry, we've got a week before we find out how badly we've done, there's no need to worry yet."**

"Yeah there was," Ron muttered.

**Harry was rubbing his forehead.**

**"I wish I knew what this means!" he burst out angrily. "My scar keeps hurting - it's happened before, but never as often as this."**

Older Lily looked at him worriedly.

**"Go to Madam Pomfrey," Hermione suggested.**

**"I'm not ill," said Harry. "I think it's a warning... it means danger's coming..."**

"Good sense Potter," Moody grunted.

**Ron couldn't get worked up, it was too hot.**

Ginny snorted.

**"Harry, relax, Hermione's right, the Stone's safe as long as Dumbledore's around. Anyway, we've never had any proof Snape found out how to get past Fluffy. He nearly had his leg ripped off once, he's not going to try it again in a hurry."**

"It wasn't Snape," Hermione muttered.

** "And Neville will play Quidditch for England before Hagrid lets Dumbledore down."**

"Purposely," Fleur added.

Hagrid began to sob.

Everyone took this as a bad sign.

**Harry nodded, but he couldn't shake off a lurking feeling that there was something he'd forgotten to do, something important. When he tried to explain this, Hermione said, "That's just the exams. I woke up last night and was halfway through my Transfiguration notes before I remembered we'd done that one."**

"I'm sorry Harry," Hermione said.

"Don't worry about, if I couldn't explain it how would I except you to understand," Harry replied.

**Harry was quite sure the unsettled feeling didn't have anything to do with work, though. He watched an owl flutter toward the school across the bright blue sky, a note clamped in its mouth. Hagrid was the only one who ever sent him letters. Hagrid would never betray Dumbledore. Hagrid would never tell anyone how to get past Fluffy... never... but -**

"Your mind works in weird ways," Tonks said.

**Harry suddenly jumped to his feet.**

"What?" Parvati asked.

"Did I miss something?" Alice asked.

"I think we all did," Frank answered.

**"Where're you going?" said Ron sleepily.**

"Such a Ron thing," George commented.

**"I've just thought of something," said Harry. He had turned white. "We've got to go and see Hagrid, now."**

"Why?" older Remus asked.

"What's wrong?" older Lily demanded.

**"Why?" panted Hermione, hurrying to keep up.**

**"Don't you think it's a bit odd," said Harry, scrambling up the grassy slope, "that what Hagrid wants more than anything else is a dragon, and a stranger turns up who just happens to have an egg in his pocket? How many people wander around with dragon eggs if it's against wizard law? Lucky they found Hagrid, don't you think? Why didn't I see it before?"**

"Good work Potter," Moody growled.

Hagrid sobbed harder.

"Oh no," Mrs. Weasley muttered repeatedly.

**"What are you talking about?" said Ron, but Harry, sprinting across the grounds toward the forest, didn't answer.**

"It's so obvious! Why didn't I think of it?" Alice cried.

**Hagrid was sitting in an armchair outside his house; his trousers and sleeves were rolled up, and he was shelling peas into a large bowl.**

**"Hullo," he said, smiling. "Finished yer exams? Got time fer a drink?"**

**"Yes, please," said Ron, but Harry cut him off.**

**"No, we're in a hurry. Hagrid, I've got to ask you something. You know that night you won Norbert? What did the stranger you were playing cards with look like?"**

**"Dunno," said Hagrid casually, "he wouldn' take his cloak off."**

"This doesn't look good," older James said.

**He saw the three of them look stunned and raised his eyebrows.**

**"It's not that unusual, yeh get a lot o' funny folk in the Hog's Head - that's the pub down in the village. Mighta bin a dragon dealer, mightn' he? I never saw his face, he kept his hood up."**

**Harry sank down next to the bowl of peas. "What did you talk to him about, Hagrid? Did you mention Hogwarts at all?"**

**"Mighta come up," said Hagrid, frowning as he tried to remember. "Yeah... he asked what I did, an' I told him I was gamekeeper here... He asked a bit about the sorta creatures I took after... so I told him... an' I said what I'd always really wanted was a dragon... an' then... I can' remember too well, 'cause he kept buyin' me drinks..."**

"This person knew just how to get Hagrid to let stuff to slip," older Sirius muttered.

** "Let's see... yeah, then he said he had the dragon egg an' we could play cards fer it if I wanted... but he had ter be sure I could handle it, he didn' want it ter go ter any old home... So I told him, after Fluffy, a dragon would be easy..."**

Hagrid sobbed harder and McGonagall groaned.

**"And did he - did he seem interested in Fluffy?" Harry asked, try ing to keep his voice calm.**

"That was hard. I was about to start panicking," Harry said.

"Us too," Ron and Hermione said together.

**"Well - yeah - how many three-headed dogs d'yeh meet, even around Hogwarts? So I told him, Fluffy's a piece o' cake if yeh know how to calm him down, jus' play him a bit o' music an' he'll go straight off ter sleep -"**

"You not only told Snape, but you told Harry, Ron, and Hermione as well," Mr. Weasley sighed.

Hagrid made a sound like a wounded dog.

**Hagrid suddenly looked horrified.**

**"I shouldn'ta told yeh that!" he blurted out. "Forget I said it! Hey - where're yeh goin'?"**

"Where do you think they're going?" older James asked.

**Harry, Ron, and Hermione didn't speak to each other at all until they came to a halt in the entrance hall, which seemed very cold and gloomy after the grounds.**

"Always does when it's nice out," young Lily said.

**"We've got to go to Dumbledore," said Harry. "Hagrid told that stranger how to get past Fluffy, and it was either Snape or Voldemort under that cloak - it must've been easy, once he'd got Hagrid drunk. I just hope Dumbledore believes us. Firenze might back us up if Bane doesn't stop him. Where's Dumbledore's office?"**

"You told Dumbledore before you went after the stone?" older Lily gasped.

"We tried to, but it was too late," Hermione sighed.

**They looked around, as if hoping to see a sign pointing them in the right direction. They had never been told where Dumbledore lived, nor did they know anyone who had been sent to see him.**

"I'm so disappointed you should have been to see Dumbledore at least three times by now," young James said.

**"We'll just have to -" Harry began, but a voice suddenly rang across the hall.**

**"What are you three doing inside?"**

**It was Professor McGonagall, carrying a large pile of books.**

**"We want to see Professor Dumbledore," said Hermione, rather bravely, Harry and Ron thought.**

**"See Professor Dumbledore?" Professor McGonagall repeated, as though this was a very fishy thing to want to do. "Why?"**

"Most people don't usually want to go to the Headmaster's office," McGonagall said.

"I don't know why not. It's really cool in there," Harry said.

**Harry swallowed - now what?**

**"It's sort of secret," he said, but he wished at once he hadn't, because Professor McGonagall's nostrils flared.**

Older James snorted.

**"Professor Dumbledore left ten minutes ago," she said coldly. "He received an urgent owl from the Ministry of Magic and flew off for London at once."**

"That's what you meant about too late?" older Remus asked.

"Yep," Ron answered.

**"He's gone?" said Harry frantically. "Now?"**

**"Professor Dumbledore is a very great wizard, Potter, he has many demands on his time -**

"But this is important!" older James exclaimed.

**"But this is important."**

Harry smiled.

**"Something you have to say is more important than the Ministry of Magic, Potter."**

"It is!" young Sirius exclaimed.

**"Look," said Harry, throwing caution to the winds, "Professor - it's about the Sorcerer's stone -"**

**Whatever Professor McGonagall had expected, it wasn't that. The books she was carrying tumbled out of her arms, but she didn't pick them up.**

"What were expecting?" older Sirius asked.

"I don't know, but it wasn't that," McGonagall asnwered.

** "How do you know -?" she spluttered.**

"It's hard to surprise McGonagall," Kingsley chuckled.

**"Professor, I think - I know - that Sn- that someone's going to try and steal the Stone. I've got to talk to Professor Dumbledore."**

"It just seemed so unbelievable," McGonagall said.

**She eyed him with a mixture of shock and suspicion.**

**"Professor Dumbledore will be back tomorrow," she said finally. "I don't know how you found out about the Stone, but rest assured, no one can possibly steal it, it's too well protected."**

"Quirrell had a good try," Harry muttered.

**"But Professor -"**

"I've learned over the years that when Harry says something is going to happen you might want to listen to him," older Remus said.

Many of the people in the room nodded.

**"Potter, I know what I'm talking about," she said shortly. She bent down and gathered up the fallen books. I suggest you all go back outside and enjoy the sunshine."**

**But they didn't.**

"Of course not," older Lily sighed.

**"It's tonight," said Harry, once he was sure Professor McGonagall was out of earshot. "Snape's going through the trapdoor tonight. He's found out everything he needs, and now he's got Dumbledore out of the way. He sent that note, I bet the Ministry of Magic will get a real shock when Dumbledore turns up."**

"Indeed they did," Dumbledore said.

**"But what can we -"**

**Hermione gasped. Harry and Ron wheeled round.**

**Snape was standing there.**

"His face is enough to scare anyone," young James said.

Everyone but Harry, Ron, Hermione, and young Lily laughed.

**"Good afternoon," he said smoothly.**

**They stared at him.**

**"You shouldn't be inside on a day like this," he said, with an odd, twisted smile.**

"He smiled?" Neville gasped.

**"We were -" Harry began, without any idea what he was going to say.**

"Like I said, new to work on your lying skills," older Sirius said.

Harry smiled.

Older Lily glared.

**"You want to be more careful," said Snape. "Hanging around like this, people will think you're up to something. And Gryffindor really can't afford to lose any more points, can it?"**

"Were you threatening my son? older James growled.

"Just pointing out a fact," Snape replied.

**Harry flushed. They turned to go outside, but Snape called them back.**

**"Be warned, Potter - any more nighttime wanderings and I will personally make sure you are expelled. Good day to you."**

"Never did go through with that threat," Harry said.

"Good," older James said.

**He strode off in the direction of the staffroom.**

**Out on the stone steps, Harry turned to the others.**

**"Right, here's what we've got to do," he whispered urgently. "One of us has got to keep an eye on Snape - wait outside the staff room and follow him if he leaves it. Hermione, you'd better do that."**

"Why her?" Regulus asked.

**"Why me?"**

"AHHHHH! REGULUS IS REBORN INTO HERMIONE! RUN HARRY! SHE'S DANGEROUS!" young Sirius screamed.

"SHUT UP!" older Sirius shouted.

Young Sirius pouted.

**"It's obvious," said Ron. "You can pretend to be waiting for Professor Flitwick, you know." He put on a high voice, "'Oh Professor Flitwick, I'm so worried, I think I got question fourteen b wrong...'"**

"Makes sense," Regulus shrugged.

Everyone was laughing.

**"Oh, shut up," said Hermione, but she agreed to go and watch out for Snape.**

"Of course I would! I couldn't let Harry deal with something like this by himself!" Hermione exclaimed.

**"And we'd better stay outside the third-floor corridor," Harry told Ron. "Come on."**

**But that part of the plan didn't work. No sooner had they reached the door separating Fluffy from the rest of the school than Professor McGonagall turned up again and this time, she lost her temper.**

"If you would do something they wouldn't feel the need to!" older Lily cried.

**"I suppose you think you're harder to get past than a pack of enchantments!" she stormed. "Enough of this nonsense! If I hear you 've come anywhere near here again, I'll take another fifty points from Gryffindor! Yes, Weasley, from my own house!"**

"Funny, I remember getting 50 points for Gryffindor," Ron whispered.

Hermione and Harry snickered.

** Harry and Ron went back to the common room, Harry had just said, "At least Hermione's on Snape's tail," when the portrait of the Fat Lady swung open and Hermione came in.**

"You spoke too soon," young Remus said.

**"I'm sorry, Harry!" she wailed. "Snape came out and asked me what I was doing, so I said I was waiting for Flitwick, and Snape went to get him, and I've only just got away, I don't know where Snape went."**

**"Well, that's it then, isn't it?" Harry said.**

**The other two stared at him. He was pale and his eyes were glittering.**

**"I'm going out of here tonight and I'm going to try and get to the Stone first."**

"NO!" older Lily and James yelled.

"You could get hurt!" older Lily exclaimed.

"Or worse!" older James added.

"I'm fine. I'm right here. Nothing really bad happened," Harry said.

"Really bad? Then what bad thing happened?" older Sirius asked.

"Nothing," Harry and Ron said together.

"So the two of you got hurt," older Remus said.

"We didn't say that," the boys said

"But you're not denying it either," older Lily sighed.

**"You're mad!" said Ron.**

**"You can't!" said Hermione. "After what McGonagall and Snape have said? You'll be expelled!"**

"Listen to them!" Alice cried.

**"SO WHAT?" Harry shouted. "Don't you understand? If Snape gets hold of the Stone, Voldemort's coming back! Haven't you heard what it was like when he was trying to take over? There won't be any Hogwarts to get expelled from! He'll flatten it, or turn it into a school for the Dark Arts! Losing points doesn't matter anymore, can't you see? D'you think he'll leave you and your families alone if Gryffindor wins the house cup? If I get caught before I can get to the Stone, well, I'll have to go back to the Dursleys and wait for Voldemort to find me there, it's only dying a bit later than I would have, because I'm never going over to the Dark Side! I'm going through that trapdoor tonight and nothing you two say is going to stop me! Voldemort killed my parents, remember?"**

There was silence for awhile.

Then Tonks broke it, "Well, that makes all my problems when I was 11 seem unimportant."

Many people nodded.

**He glared at them.**

**"You're right Harry," said Hermione in a small voice.**

**"I'll use the invisibility cloak," said Harry. "It's just lucky I got it back."**

**"But will it cover all three of us?" said Ron.**

**"All - all three of us?" **

"Did you honestly think we were going to let you go alone?" Hermione rolled her eyes.

**"Oh, come off it, you don't think we'd let you go alone?"**

**"Of course not," said Hermione briskly. "How do you think you'd get to the Stone without us? I'd better go and took through my books, there might be something useful..."**

"Such a Hermione thing to do," Ginny snorted.

"It's a good thing I did too. It saved our lives after we got past Fluffy," Hermione said.

**"But if we get caught, you two will be expelled, too."**

**"Not if I can help it," said Hermione grimly. "Flitwick told me in secret that I got a hundred and twelve percent on his exam. They're not throwing me out after that."**

"We also wouldn't have expelled Harry. His situation is different most people," Dumbledore said.

**After dinner the three of them sat nervously apart in the common room. Nobody bothered them; none of the Gryffindors had anything to say to Harry any more, after all. This was the first night he hadn't been upset by it. Hermione was skimming through all her notes, hoping to come across one of the enchantments they were about to try to break. Harry and Ron didn't talk much. Both of them were thinking about what they were about to do.**

Mrs. Weasley sighed.

**Slowly, the room emptied as people drifted off to bed.**

**"Better get the cloak," Ron muttered, as Lee Jordan finally left, stretching and yawning. Harry ran upstairs to their dark dormitory. He putted out the cloak and then his eyes fell on the flute Hagrid had given him for Christmas. He pocketed it to use on Fluffy - he didn't feel much like singing.**

"Good you can't sing," Hermione said.

Harry stuck her tongue out at her.

**He ran back down to the common room.**

**"We'd better put the cloak on here, and make sure it covers all three of us - if Filch spots one of our feet wandering along on its own -"**

**"What are you doing?" said a voice from the corner of the room. Neville appeared from behind an armchair, clutching Trevor the toad, who looked as though he'd been making another bid for freedom.**

**"Nothing, Neville, nothing," said Harry, hurriedly putting the cloak behind his back.**

**Neville stared at their guilty faces.**

**"You're going out again," he said.**

**"No, no, no," said Hermione. "No, we're not. Why don't you go to bed, Neville?"**

**Harry looked at the grandfather clock by the door. They couldn't afford to waste any more time, Snape might even now be playing Fluffy to sleep.**

"Sorry guys," Neville said.

"Don't be, remember the feast," Harry said.

"I remember," Neville smiled.

**"You can't go out," said Neville, "you'll be caught again. Gryffindor will be in even more trouble."**

**"You don't understand," said Harry, "this is important."**

**But Neville was clearly steeling himself to do something desperate.**

**I won't let you do it," he said, hurrying to stand in front of the portrait hole. "I'll - I'll fight you!"**

"I'm proud of you for standing up for what you believe in," Frank said.

"I'm just glad he's delaying them," Mr. Weasley said.

**"Neville, "Ron exploded, "get away from that hole and don't be an idiot -"**

"RON!" Mrs. Weasley screamed.

"Sorry, Neville I was under a lot of pressure," Ron said.

"It's okay," Neville shrugged.

**"Don't you call me an idiot!" said Neville. "I don't think you should be breaking any more rules! And you were the one who told me to stand up to people!"**

"Way to go Neville," Hannah said.

Neville blushed.

**"Yes, but not to us," said Ron in exasperation. "Neville, you don't know what you're doing."**

**He took a step forward and Neville dropped Trevor the toad, who leapt out of sight.**

**"Go on then, try and hit me!" said Neville, raising his fists. "I'm ready!"**

**Harry turned to Hermione.**

**"Do something," he said desperately.**

**Hermione stepped forward.**

**"Neville," she said, "I'm really, really sorry about this."**

"I really am sorry," Hermione said.

"It's okay. I would have done the same thing if it were me," Neville said.

**She raised her wand.**

**"Petrificus Totalus!" she cried, pointing it at Neville.**

Alice gasped and Frank glared at Hermione.

**Neville's arms snapped to his sides. His legs sprang together. His whole body rigid, he swayed where he stood and then fell flat on his face, stiff as a board.**

**Hermione ran to turn him over. Neville's jaws were jammed together so he couldn't speak. Only his eyes were moving, looking at them in horror.**

**"What've you done to him?" Harry whispered.**

**"It's the full Body-Bind," said Hermione miserably. "Oh, Neville, I'm so sorry."**

**"We had to, Neville, no time to explain," said Harry.**

**"You'll understand later, Neville," said Ron as they stepped over him and pulled on the invisibility cloak.**

"I do and if you would have told me I would have come with you," Neville said.

"I'm glad you hexed him instead," Alice said.

**But leaving Neville lying motionless on the floor didn't feel like a very good omen. In their nervous state, every statue's shadow looked like Filch, every distant breath of wind sounded like Peeves swooping down on them. At the foot of the first set of stairs, they spotted Mrs. Norris skulking near the top.**

**"Oh, let's kick her, just this once," Ron whispered in Harry's ear, but Harry shook his head.**

"But it's so much fun," young Sirius wined.

** As they climbed carefully around her, Mrs. Norris turned her lamplike eyes on them, but didn't do anything.**

**They didn't meet anyone else until they reached the staircase up to the third floor. Peeves was bobbing halfway up, loosening the carpet so that people would trip.**

**"Who's there?" he said suddenly as they climbed toward him. He narrowed his wicked black eyes. "Know you're there, even if I can't see you. Are you ghoulie or ghostie or wee student beastie?"**

**He rose up in the air and floated there, squinting at them.**

**"Should call Filch, I should, if something's a-creeping around unseen."**

**Harry had a sudden idea.**

**"Peeves," he said, in a hoarse whisper, "the Bloody Baron has his own reasons for being invisible."**

"Brilliant!" Fred yelled.

"Why didn't we ever think of that?" older James asked.

Older Sirius shrugged.

**Peeves almost fell out of the air in shock. He caught himself in time and hovered about a foot off the stairs.**

**"So sorry, your bloodiness, Mr. Baron, Sir," he said greasily. "My mistake, my mistake - I didn't see you - of course I didn't, you're invisible - forgive old Peevsie his little joke, sir."**

"That was amazing," young Sirius said in awe.

"It gets better," Ron said.

**"I have business here, Peeves," croaked Harry. "Stay away from this place tonight."**

**"I will, sir, I most certainly will," said Peeves, rising up in the air again. "Hope your business goes well, Baron, I'll not bother you."**

"I can't believe it!" Bill laughed.

**And he scooted off.**

**"Brilliant, Harry!" whispered Ron.**

**A few seconds later, they were there, outside the third-floor corridor - and the door was already ajar.**

**"Well, there you are," Harry said quietly, "Snape's already got past Fluffy."**

**Seeing the open door somehow seemed to impress upon all three of them what was facing them. Underneath the cloak, Harry turned to the other two.**

**"If you want to go back, I won't blame you," he said. "You can take the cloak, I won't need it now."**

**"Don't be stupid," said Ron.**

**"We're coming," said Hermione.**

"That's the meaning of true friends," older James smiled, looking at older Remus and Sirius.

**Harry pushed the door open.**

**As the door creaked, low, rumbling growls met their ears. All three of the dog's noses sniffed madly in their direction, even though it couldn't see them.**

**"What's that at its feet?" Hermione whispered.**

**"Looks like a harp," said Ron. "Snape must have left it there."**

**"It must wake up the moment you stop playing," said Harry. "Well, here goes..."**

**He put Hagrid's flute to his lips and blew. It wasn't really a tune, but from the first note the beast's eyes began to droop. Harry hardly drew breath. Slowly, the dog's growls ceased - it tottered on its paws and fell to its knees, then it slumped to the ground, fast asleep.**

"I guess it's a good thing Hagrid told you how to get past Fluffy then," older Lily said.

"It is because we would have gone whether we knew or not," Ron said.

**"Keep playing," Ron warned Harry as they slipped out of the cloak and crept toward the trapdoor. They could feel the dog's hot, smelly breath as they approached the giant heads. "I think we'll be able to pull the door open," said Ron, peering over the dog's back. "Want to go first, Hermione?"**

Charlie snorted.

**"No, I don't!"**

**"All right." Ron gritted his teeth and stepped carefully over the dog's legs. He bent and pulled the ring of the trapdoor, which swung up and open.**

**"What can you see?" Hermione said anxiously.**

**"Nothing - just black - there's no way of climbing down, we'll just have to drop."**

"IF YOU DON'T KNOW WHAT IS DOWN THERE DON'T GO THERE!" older James yelled.

"Somebody had to," Harry shrugged.

**Harry, who was still playing the flute, waved at Ron to get his attention and pointed at himself.**

**"You want to go first? Are you sure?" said Ron. "I don't know how deep this thing goes. Give the flute to Hermione so she can keep him asleep."**

**Harry handed the flute over. In the few seconds' silence, the dog growled and twitched, but the moment Hermione began to play, it fell back into its deep sleep.**

**Harry climbed over it and looked down through the trapdoor. There was no sign of the bottom.**

Mrs. Weasley joined Hagrid sobbing.

**He lowered himself through the hole until he was hanging on by his fingertips. Then he looked up at Ron and said, "If anything happens to me, don't follow. Go straight to the owlery and send Hedwig to Dumbledore, right?"**

"You should have done that in the first place!" older Lily exclaimed.

"There wasn't any time," Harry said.

"Besides we would have went after him anyways," Hermione added.

"But you agreed?" Harry said.

"Doesn't mean we didn't plan on disobeying you," Ron rolled his eyes.

**"Right," said Ron.**

**"See you in a minute, I hope...**

Older Sirius bit his lip.

**And Harry let go. Cold, damp air rushed past him as he fell down, down, down and - FLUMP. With a funny, muffled sort of thump he landed on something soft. He sat up and felt around, his eyes not used to the gloom. It felt as though he was sitting on some sort of plant.**

**"It's okay!" he called up to the light the size of a postage stamp, which was the open trapdoor, "it's a soft landing, you can jump!"**

**Ron followed right away.**

"Like a true Weasley," Mr. Weasley said proudly.

Ron beamed.

** He landed, sprawled next to Harry.**

**"What's this stuff?" were his first words.**

**"Dunno, some sort of plant thing. I suppose it's here to break the fall."**

"Why would they want to break the fall of somebody trying to steal the stone?" Cho asked.

"I don't know," Harry blushed.

** "Come on, Hermione!"**

**The distant music stopped. There was a loud bark from the dog, but Hermione had already jumped. She landed on Harry's other side.**

**"We must be miles under the school , she said.**

**"Lucky this plant thing's here, really," said Ron.**

**"Lucky!" shrieked Hermione. "Look at you both!"**

"What's wrong?" Tonks asked.

**She leapt up and struggled toward a damp wall. She had to struggle because the moment she had landed, the plant had started to twist snakelike tendrils around her ankles. As for Harry and Ron, their legs had already been bound tightly in long creepers without their noticing.**

Lavender screamed.

**Hermione had managed to free herself before the plant got a firm grip on her. Now she watched in horror as the two boys fought to pull the plant off them, but the more they strained against it, the tighter and faster the plant wound around them.**

"That's Devil's Snare!" Neville exclaimed excitedly.

"Well, that'll help," said older Sirius muttered.

**"Stop moving!" Hermione ordered them. "I know what this is - it's Devil's Snare!"**

Neville blinked.

**"Oh, I'm so glad we know what it's called, that's a great help," snarled Ron,**

Older Sirius blinked.

** leaning back, trying to stop the plant from curling around his neck. **

Mrs. Weasley continued sobbing.

**"Shut up, I'm trying to remember how to kill it!" said Hermione.**

**"Well, hurry up, I can't breathe!" Harry gasped, wrestling with it as it curled around his chest.**

Older Lily went pale.

**"Devil's Snare, Devil's Snare... what did Professor Sprout say? - it likes the dark and the damp**

**"So light a fire!" Harry choked.**

**"Yes - of course - but there's no wood!" Hermione cried, wringing her hands.**

A few people laughed.

**"HAVE YOU GONE MAD?" Ron bellowed. "ARE YOU A WITCH OR NOT?"**

**"Oh, right!" said Hermione,**

Laughter rang out through the hall again.

** and she whipped out her wand, waved it, muttered something, and sent a jet of the same bluebell flames she had used on Snape at the plant. In a matter of seconds, the two boys felt it loosening its grip as it cringed away from the light and warmth. Wriggling and flailing, it unraveled itself from their bodies, and they were able to pull free.**

"Thank Merlin," older James muttered.

**"Lucky you pay attention in Herbology, Hermione," said Harry as he joined her by the wall, wiping sweat off his face.**

**"Yeah," said Ron, "and lucky Harry doesn't lose his head in a crisis - 'there's no wood,' honestly."**

People laughed again.

**"This way," said Harry, pointing down a stone passageway, which was the only way forward.**

**All they could hear apart from their footsteps was the gentle drip of water trickling down the walls. The passageway sloped downward, and Harry was reminded of Gringotts. With an unpleasant jolt of the heart, he remembered the dragons said to be guarding vaults in the wizards' bank. If they met a dragon, a fully-grown dragon - Norbert had been bad enough...**

"There better not be a dragon down there," older Remus growled.

**"Can you hear something?" Ron whispered.**

**Harry listened. A soft rustling and clinking seemed to be coming from up ahead.**

"What could that be?" young Lily wondered out loud.

**"Do you think it's a ghost?"**

**"I don't know... sounds like wings to me."**

"Wings?" Padma said.

**"There's light ahead - I can see something moving."**

**They reached the end of the passageway and saw before them a brilliantly lit chamber, its ceiling arching high above them. It was full of small, jewel-bright birds, fluttering and tumbling all around the room. On the opposite side of the chamber was a heavy wooden door.**

**"Do you think they'll attack us if we cross the room?" said Ron.**

**"Probably," said Harry. "They don't look very vicious, but I suppose if they all swooped down at once... well, there's no other choice... I'll run."**

**He took a deep breath, covered his face with his arms, and sprinted across the room. He expected to feel sharp beaks and claws tearing at him any second, but nothing happened. He reached the door untouched. He pulled the handle, but it was locked.**

**The other two followed him. They tugged and heaved at the door, but it wouldn't budge, not even when Hermione tried her Alohomora charm.**

"Too simple," Kingsley said.

"But sometimes the best way to do something like that, is simple," Hermione pointed out.

**"Now what?" said Ron.**

**"These birds... they can't be here just for decoration," said Hermione.**

**They watched the birds soaring overhead, glittering - glittering?**

"Since when do birds glitter?" older Lily asked.

**"They're not birds!" Harry said suddenly. "They're keys! Winged keys - look carefully. So that must mean..." he looked around the chamber while the other two squinted up at the flock of keys. "... yes - look! Broomsticks! We've got to catch the key to the door!"**

**"But there are hundreds of them!"**

**Ron examined the lock on the door.**

**"We're looking for a big, old-fashioned one - probably silver, like the handle."**

Moody nodded approvingly.

**They each seized a broomstick and kicked off into the air, soaring into the midst of the cloud of keys. They grabbed and snatched, but the bewitched keys darted and dived so quickly it was almost impossible to catch one.**

**Not for nothing, though, was Harry the youngest Seeker in a century. He had a knack for spotting things other people didn't. After a minute's weaving about through the whirl of rainbow feathers, he noticed a large silver key that had a bent wing, as if it had already been caught and stuffed roughly into the keyhole.**

**"That one!" he called to the others. "That big one - there - no, there - with bright blue wings - the feathers are all crumpled on one side."**

**Ron went speeding in the direction that Harry was pointing, crashed into the ceiling, and nearly fell off his broom.**

Hannah gasped.

"Were you okay?" Percy asked.

"Yeah, fine," Ron answered.

**"We've got to close in on it!" Harry called, not taking his eyes off the key with the damaged wing. "Ron, you come at it from above - Hermione, stay below and stop it from going down and I'll try and catch it. Right, NOW!"**

**Ron dived, Hermione rocketed upward, the key dodged them both, and Harry streaked after it; it sped toward the wall, Harry leaned forward and with a nasty, crunching noise, pinned it against the stone with one hand. Ron and Hermione's cheers echoed around the high chamber.**

**They landed quickly, and Harry ran to the door, the key struggling in his hand. He rammed it into the lock and turned - it worked. The moment the lock had clicked open, the key took flight again, looking very battered now that it had been caught twice.**

**"Ready?" Harry asked the other two, his hand on the door handle. They nodded. He pulled the door open.**

**The next chamber was so dark they couldn't see anything at all. But as they stepped into it, light suddenly flooded the room to reveal an astonishing sight.**

**They were standing on the edge of a huge chessboard, behind the black chessmen, which were all taller than they were and carved from what looked like black stone. Facing them, way across the chamber, were the white pieces. Harry, Ron and Hermione shivered slightly - the towering white chessmen had no faces.**

**"Now what do we do?" Harry whispered.**

**"It's obvious, isn't it?" said Ron. "We've got to play our way across the room."**

**Behind the white pieces they could see another door.**

**"How?" said Hermione nervously.**

**"I think," said Ron, "we're going to have to be chessmen."**

**He walked up to a black knight and put his hand out to touch the knight's horse. At once, the stone sprang to life. The horse pawed the ground and the knight turned his helmeted head to look down at Ron.**

**"Do we - er - have to join you to get across?" The black knight nodded. Ron turned to the other two.**

**"This needs thinking about he said. I suppose we've got to take the place of three of the black pieces..."**

**Harry and Hermione stayed quiet, watching Ron think. Finally he said, "Now, don't be offended or anything, but neither of you are that good at chess -"**

**"We're not offended," said Harry quickly. "Just tell us what to do."**

**"Well, Harry, you take the place of that bishop, and Hermione, You g0 next to him instead of that castle."**

**"What about you?"**

**"I'm going to be a knight," said Ron.**

**The chessmen seemed to have been listening, because at these words a knight, a bishop, and a castle turned their backs on the white pieces and walked off the board, leaving three empty squares that Harry, Ron, and Hermione took.**

**"White always plays first in chess," said Ron, peering across the board. "Yes... look..."**

**A white pawn had moved forward two squares.**

**Ron started to direct the black pieces. They moved silently wherever he sent them. Harry's knees were trembling. What if they lost?**

"That would be very bad," McGonagall said.

"But we won so it was okay," Ron shrugged.

**"Harry - move diagonally four squares to the right."**

**Their first real shock came when their other knight was taken. The white queen smashed him to the floor and dragged him off the board, where he lay quite still, facedown.**

Alicia shuddered.

**"Had to let that happen," said Ron, looking shaken. "Leaves you free to take that bishop, Hermione, go on."**

**Every time one of their men was lost, the white pieces showed no mercy. Soon there was a huddle of limp black players slumped along the wall. Twice, Ron only just noticed in time that Harry and Hermione were in danger. He himself darted around the board, taking almost as many white pieces as they had lost black ones.**

**"We're nearly there," he muttered suddenly. "Let me think let me think..."**

**The white queen turned her blank face toward him.**

**"Yes..." said Ron softly, "It's the only way... I've got to be taken."**

"NO!" Mrs. Weasley screamed.

**"NO!" Harry and Hermione shouted.**

**"That's chess!" snapped Ron. "You've got to make some sacrifices! I take one step forward and she'll take me - that leaves you free to checkmate the king, Harry!"**

**"But -"**

**"Do you want to stop Snape or not?"**

**"Ron -"**

**"Look, if you don't hurry up, he'll already have the Stone!"**

**There was no alternative.**

"Brave boy," Moody muttered.

**"Ready?" Ron called, his face pale but determined. "Here I go - now, don't hang around once you've won."**

**He stepped forward, and the white queen pounced. She struck Ron hard across the head with her stone arm, and he crashed to the floor**

Everyone in the room winced.

** - Hermione screamed but stayed on her square - the white queen dragged Ron to one side. He looked as if he'd been knocked out.**

Hermione hugged Ron tightly.

**Shaking, Harry moved three spaces to the left.**

**The white king took off his crown and threw it at Harry's feet. They had won. The chessmen parted and bowed, leaving the door ahead clear. With one last desperate look back at Ron, Harry and Hermione charged through the door and up the next passageway.**

**"What if he's -?"**

**"He'll be all right," said Harry, trying to convince himself. "What do you reckon's next?"**

**"We've had Sprout's, that was the Devil's Snare; Flitwick must've put charms on the keys; McGonagall transfigured the chessmen to make them alive; that leaves Quirrell's spell, and Snape's."**

**They had reached another door.**

**"All right?" Harry whispered.**

**"Go on."**

**Harry pushed it open.**

**A disgusting smell filled their nostrils, making both of them pull their robes up over their noses. Eyes watering, they saw, flat on the floor in front of them, a troll even larger than the one they had tackled, out cold with a bloody lump on its head.**

"That makes me wonder who really let that troll in," Frank mumbled.

**"I'm glad we didn't have to fight that one," Harry whispered as they stepped carefully over one of its massive legs. "Come on, I can't breathe."**

"Eww," Katie whispered.

**He pulled open the next door, both of them hardly daring to look at what came next - but there was nothing very frightening in here, just a table with seven differently shaped bottles standing on it in a line.**

**"Snape's," said Harry. "What do we have to do?"**

**They stepped over the threshold, and immediately a fire sprang up behind them in the doorway. It wasn't ordinary fire either; it was purple. At the same instant, black flames shot up in the doorway leading onward. They were trapped.**

"How did you get out?" older James asked.

"Hermione's brilliant," Harry said.

**"Look!" Hermione seized a roll of paper lying next to the bottles. Harry looked over her shoulder to read it:**

**Danger lies before you, while safety lies behind,**

**Two of us will help you, which ever you would find,**

**One among us seven will let you move ahead,**

**Another will transport the drinker back instead,**

**Two among our number hold only nettle wine,**

**Three of us are killers, waiting bidden in line.**

**Choose, unless you wish to stay here forevermore,**

**To help you in your choice, we give you these clues four:**

**First, however slyly the poison tries to hide**

**You will always find some on nettle wine's left side;**

**Second, different are those who stand at either end,**

**But if you would move onward, neither is your friend;**

**Third, as you see clearly, all are different size,**

**Neither dwarf nor giant holds death in their insides;**

**Fourth, the second left and the second on the right**

**Are twins once you taste them, though different at first sight.**

**Hermione let out a great sigh and Harry, amazed, saw that she was smiling, the very last thing he felt like doing.**

**"Brilliant," said Hermione. "This isn't magic - it's logic - a puzzle. A lot of the greatest wizards haven't got an ounce of logic, they'd be stuck in here forever."**

"I'm kind of offended by that," Lee said.

"It's the truth though," older Lily said.

**"But so will we, won't we?" **

"Why must you doubt me?" Hermione teased.

Harry grinned.

**"Of course not," said Hermione. "Everything we need is here on this paper. Seven bottles: three are poison; two are wine; one will get us safely through the black fire, and one will get us back through the purple."**

**"But how do we know which to drink?"**

**"Give me a minute."**

**Hermione read the paper several times. Then she walked up and down the line of bottles, muttering to herself and pointing at them. At last, she clapped her hands.**

**"Got it," she said. "The smallest bottle will get us through the black fire - toward the Stone."**

**Harry looked at the tiny bottle.**

**"There's only enough there for one of us," he said. "That's hardly one swallow."**

**They looked at each other.**

**"Which one will get you back through the purple flames?"**

**Hermione pointed at a rounded bottle at the right end of the line.**

**"You drink that," said Harry. "No, listen, get back and get Ron. Grab brooms from the flying- key room, they'll get you out of the trapdoor and past Fluffy - go straight to the owlery and send Hedwig to Dumbledore, we need him. I might be able to hold Snape off for a while, but I'm no match for him, really."**

"Harry, you can't!" older Lily cried.

**"But Harry - what if You-Know-Who's with him?"**

"He was, wasn't he?" older James asked.

Harry nodded.

Older James put his face in his hands and older Lily started crying silently.

**"Well - I was lucky once, wasn't I?" said Harry, pointing at his scar. "I might get lucky again."**

"Luck? You were counting on luck?" Ginny said.

"What else was I suppose to do," Harry replied.

**Hermione's lip trembled, and she suddenly dashed at Harry and threw her arms around him.**

**"Hermione!"**

**"Harry - you're a great wizard, you know."**

**"I'm not as good as you," said Harry, very embarrassed, as she let go of him.**

**"Me!" said Hermione. "Books! And cleverness! There are more important things - friendship and bravery and - oh Harry - be careful!"**

**"You drink first," said Harry. "You are sure which is which, aren't you?"**

**"Positive," said Hermione. She took a long drink from the round bottle at the end, and shuddered.**

**"It's not poison?" said Harry anxiously.**

**"No - but it's like ice."**

**"Quick, go, before it wears off."**

**"Good luck - take care."**

**"GO!"**

**Hermione turned and walked straight through the purple fire.**

**Harry took a deep breath and picked up the smallest bottle. He turned to face the black flames.**

**"Here I come," he said, and he drained the little bottle in one gulp.**

Older Sirius was very pale.

**It was indeed as though ice was flooding his body. He put the bottle down and walked forward; he braced himself, saw the black flames licking his body, but couldn't feel them - for a moment he could see nothing but dark fire - then he was on the other side, in the last chamber.**

**There was already someone there - but it wasn't Snape. It wasn't even Voldemort.**

"Who is it?" Tonks demanded.

"That's it," Charlie announced.

_AN: Sorry this wasn't up as soon as I hoped. School started back so updates won't be as often. On the bright side only one chapter left until we finish the first book. Then I'll start the second book._

_~ Pottergirl3333_


	18. The Man With Two Faces

_Disclaimer: I don't own Harry Potter and I never will._

"I want to read!" Tonks exclaimed grabbing the book from Charlie's hand.

**THE MAN WITH TWO FACES**

"How can you have two faces?" young Sirius asked.

"You'll see," Harry said.

"I really hate hearing that," older Remus sighed.

Tonks snorted, "Then you all need to stop asking what's going to happen questions. The answer isn't going to change."

**It was Quirrell.**

"QUIRRELL!" young James shouted.

"I thought for sure it was Snape," older Sirius muttered

**"You!" gasped Harry.**

**Quirrell smiled. His face wasn't twitching at all.**

**"Me," he said calmly. "I wondered whether I'd be meeting you here, Potter."**

**"But I thought - Snape -"**

**"Severus?" Quirrell laughed, and it wasn't his usual quivering treble, either, but cold and sharp.**

Alice shuddered.

**"Yes, Severus does seem the type, doesn't he? So useful to have him swooping around like an overgrown bat."**

A few people snickered.

Both Snapes glared at the room. **  
"Next to him, who would suspect p-p-poor, st-stuttering P-Professor Quirrell?"**

Older Remus growled.

**Harry couldn't take it in. This couldn't be true, it couldn't.**

**"But Snape tried to kill me!"**

"This isn't making a lot of sense," Frank mused.

**"No, no, no. I tried to kill you. Your friend Miss Granger accidentally knocked me over as she rushed to set fire to Snape at that Quidditch match. She broke my eye contact with you. Another few seconds and I'd have got you off that broom. I'd have managed it before then if Snape hadn't been muttering a countercurse, trying to save you."**

Older James looked Snape in the eye.

"Thank-you for saving my son," older James said.

Snape nodded.

Older Lily beamed.

**"Snape was trying to save me?"**

**"Of course," said Quirrell coolly. "Why do you think he wanted to referee your next match? He was trying to make sure I didn't do it again. Funny, really... he needn't have bothered. I couldn't do anything with Dumbledore watching. All the other teachers thought Snape was trying to stop Gryffindor from winning, he did make himself unpopular... and what a waste of time, when after all that, I'm going to kill you tonight."**

"You stay away from him," Bill growled.

**Quirrell snapped his fingers. Ropes sprang out of thin air and wrapped themselves tightly around Harry.**

"NO!" Mrs. Weasley shrieked.

**"You're too nosy to live, Potter. Scurrying around the school on Halloween like that, for all I knew you'd seen me coming to look at what was guarding the Stone."**

"He let the troll in?" Lee asked.

**"You let the troll in?"**

**"Certainly. I have a special gift with trolls - you must have seen what I did to the one in the chamber back there? Unfortunately, while everyone else was running around looking for it, Snape, who already suspected me, went straight to the third floor to head me off - and not only did my troll fail to beat you to death,**

Older Sirius growled.

**that three-headed dog didn't even manage to bite Snape's leg off properly."**

"Sadly," older Sirius muttered.

Older Remus hit him.

**"Now, wait quietly, Potter. I need to examine this interesting mirror."**

**It was only then that Harry realized what was standing behind Quirrell. It was the Mirror of Erised.**

**"This mirror is the key to finding the Stone," Quirrell murmured, tapping his way around the frame. "Trust Dumbledore to come up with something like this... but he's in London... I'll be far away by the time he gets back..."**

"The first sight of insanity is talk to one's self," Luna commented dreamily.

Many people started laughing despite what was going on to book Harry.

**All Harry could think of doing was to keep Quirrell talking and stop him from concentrating on the mirror.**

**"I saw you and Snape in the forest -" he blurted out.**

"Thatta boy! Keep him talking!" Moody grunted.

Older Lily glared at him.

**"Yes," said Quirrell idly, walking around the mirror to look at the back. "He was on to me by that time, trying to find out how far I'd got. He suspected me all along. Tried to frighten me - as though he could, when I had Lord Voldemort on my side..."**

"Thank Merlin Voldemort's not there with him," Mr. Weasley muttered.

Ron started coughing.

**Quirrell came back out from behind the mirror and stared hungrily into it.**

**"I see the Stone... I'm presenting it to my master... but where is it?"**

**Harry struggled against the ropes binding him, but they didn't give. He had to keep Quirrell from giving his whole attention to the mirror.**

"No, just get out of there," older Lily urged.

**"But Snape always seemed to hate me so much."**

"He does," Fred said.

**"Oh, he does," said Quirrell casually, "heavens, yes. He was at Hogwarts with your father, didn't you know? They loathed each other. But he never wanted you dead."**

Snape stole a quick glance at older Lily at Quirrell's words.

**"But I heard you a few days ago, sobbing - I thought Snape was threatening you..."**

**For the first time, a spasm of fear flitted across Quirrell's face.**

"Good," older James growled.

**"Sometimes," he said, "I find it hard to follow my master's instructions - he is a great wizard and I am weak -"**

"Voldemort was in the school!" Mrs. Weasley exclaimed.

"On a regular bases," Harry added.

Older Remus's eyes widened, as he remembered the chapter title.

**"You mean he was there in the classroom with you?" Harry gasped.**

**"He is with me wherever I go," said Quirrell quietly. "I met him when I traveled around the world. A foolish young man I was then, full of ridiculous ideas about good and evil. Lord Voldemort showed me how wrong I was. There is no good and evil, there is only power, and those too weak to seek it..." **

"This is sick," young Sirius said in disgust.

Regulus and Severus were hanging on to every word.

Young James glared at them.

**"Since then, I have served him faithfully, although I have let him down many times. He has had to be very hard on me." Quirrell shivered suddenly. "He does not forgive mistakes easily. When I failed to steal the stone from Gringotts, he was most displeased. He punished me... decided he would have to keep a closer watch on me..."**

**Quirrell's voice trailed away. Harry was remembering his trip to Diagon Alley -how could he have been so stupid? He'd seen Quirrell there that very day, shaken hands with him in the Leaky Cauldron.**

**Quirrell cursed under his breath.**

**"I don't understand... is the Stone inside the mirror? Should I break it?"**

**Harry's mind was racing.**

**What I want more than anything else in the world at the moment, he thought, is to find the Stone before Quirrell does. So if I look in the mirror, I should see myseff finding it - which means I'll see where it's hidden! But how can I look without Quirrell realizing what I'm up to?**

**He tried to edge to the left, to get in front of the glass without Quirrell noticing, but the ropes around his ankles were too tight: he tripped and fell over.**

"Were you alright?" Alice asked kindly.

"Falling over was the last thing I was worried about," Harry replied.

Older Lily and James thought about Harry saying Voldemort was there with them.

**Quirrell ignored him. He was still talking to himself. "What does this mirror do? How does it work? Help me, Master!"**

**And to Harry's horror, a voice answered, and the voice seemed to come from Quirrell himself.**

**"Use the boy... Use the boy..."**

"NO!" older Lily screamed.

"Leave Harry alone!" Hagrid roared.

"Where did the voice come from?" Alicia demanded.

Ginny went pale.

**Quirrell rounded on Harry.**

**"Yes - Potter - come here."**

**He clapped his hands once, and the ropes binding Harry fell off.**

"Run!" older Sirius yelled.

**Harry got slowly to his feet.**

**"Come here," Quirrell repeated. "Look in the mirror and tell me what you see."**

**Harry walked toward him.**

"Don't walk toward him! Get out of there!" older Remus cried.

**I must lie, he thought desperately. I must look and lie about what I see, that's all.**

"Good thinking," Moody nodded.

**Quirrell moved close behind him. Harry breathed in the funny smell that seemed to come from Quirrell's turban.**

Hermione turned a greenish color.

**He closed his eyes, stepped in front of the mirror, and opened them again.**

**He saw his reflection, pale and scared-looking at first. But a moment later, the reflection smiled at him. It put its hand into its pocket and pulled out a blood-red stone. It winked and put the Stone back in its pocket - and as it did so, Harry felt something heavy drop into his real pocket. Somehow - incredibly - he'd gotten the Stone.**

Dumbledore smiled.

**"Well?" said Quirrell impatiently. "What do you see?"**

**Harry screwed up his courage.**

"Interesting wording," George snickered.

"I didn't write this!" Harry exclaimed.

**"I see myself shaking hands with Dumbledore," he invented. "I - I've won the house cup for Gryffindor."**

**Quirrell cursed again.**

**"Get out of the way," he said. As Harry moved aside, he felt the Sorcerer's Stone against his leg. Dare he make a break for it?**

"YES!" older Lily screamed.

**But he hadn't walked five paces before a high voice spoke, though Quirrell wasn't moving his lips.**

**"He lies... He lies..."**

"Is that Voldemort?" older James asked calmly.

Harry nodded.

Older Lily's eyes filled with tears again, but she pushed them away this time.

Older James took off his glasses and set them on the table.

Older Remus grabbed his wife's hand.

Older Sirius stared at the opposite wall.

**"Potter, come back here!" Quirrell shouted. "Tell me the truth! What did you just see?"**

**The high voice spoke again.**

**"Let me speak to him... face-to-face..."**

Hermione ran from the room to throw up.

"Just keep reading," Ron said.

**"Master, you are not strong enough!"**

**"I have strength enough... for this..."**

Lavender shivered.

**Harry felt as if Devil's Snare was rooting him to the spot. He couldn't move a muscle. Petrified, he watched as Quirrell reached up and began to unwrap his turban. What was going on? The turban fell away. Quirrell's head looked strangely small without it. Then he turned slowly on the spot.**

**Harry would have screamed, but he couldn't make a sound. Where there should have been a back to Quirrell's head, there was a face, the most terrible face Harry had ever seen. It was chalk white with glaring red eyes and slits for nostrils, like a snake.**

Padma, Hannah, Susan, Lavender, and Parvati screamed.

Young Lily and Alice ran after Hermione to throw up.

When everyone was back Tonks continued.

**"Harry Potter..." it whispered.**

**Harry tried to take a step backward but his legs wouldn't move.**

"Wrong on some many levels," Katie muttered.

**"See what I have become?" the face said. "Mere shadow and vapor ... I have form only when I can share another's body... but there have always been those willing to let me into their hearts and minds... Unicorn blood has strengthened me, these past weeks... you saw faithful Quirrell drinking it for me in the forest... and once I have the Elixir of Life, I will be able to create a body of my own... Now... why don't you give me that Stone in your pocket?"**

"How did he know?" young Lily gasped.

**So he knew. The feeling suddenly surged back into Harry's legs. He stumbled backward.**

"Go Harry," older Remus urged.

**"Don't be a fool," snarled the face. "Better save your own life and join me... or you'll meet the same end as your parents... They died begging me for mercy..."**

"LIAR!" older Sirius yelled.

**"LIAR!" Harry shouted suddenly.**

Older James smiled proudly at Harry.

**Quirrell was walking backward at him, so that Voldemort could still see him. The evil face was now smiling.**

**"How touching..." it hissed. "I always value bravery... Yes, boy, your parents were brave... I killed your father first; and he put up a courageous fight... but your mother needn't have died... she was trying to protect you... Now give me the Stone, unless you want her to have died in vain."**

**"NEVER!"**

"Thatta boy Harry," younger James muttered.

**Harry sprang toward the flame door, but Voldemort screamed "SEIZE HIM!" and the next second, Harry felt Quirrell's hand close on his wrist. **

"NO!" older Lily screamed.

**At once, a needle-sharp pain seared across Harry's scar; his head felt as though it was about to split in two;**

"HARRY!" older Remus cried.

**he yelled, struggling with all his might, and to his surprise, Quirrell let go of him.**

"What?" Tonks gasped.

**The pain in his head lessened - he looked around wildly to see where Quirrell had gone, and saw him hunched in pain, looking at his fingers - they were blistering before his eyes.**

**"Seize him! SEIZE HIM!" shrieked Voldemort again, and Quirrell lunged, knocking Harry clean off his feet' landing on top of him, both hands around Harry's neck**

Older Lily hugged Harry tightly.

**- Harry's scar was almost blinding him with pain, yet he could see Quirrell howling in agony.**

**"Master, I cannot hold him - my hands - my hands!"**

**And Quirrell, though pinning Harry to the ground with his knees, let go of his neck and stared, bewildered, at his own palms - Harry could see they looked burned, raw, red, and shiny.**

**"Then kill him, fool, and be done!" screeched Voldemort.**

**Quirrell raised his hand to perform a deadly curse, but Harry, by instinct, reached up and grabbed Quirrell's face -**

"Smart Potter," Moody grunted.

**"AAAARGH!"**

**Quirrell rolled off him, his face blistering, too, and then Harry knew: Quirrell couldn't touch his bare skin, not without suffering terrible pain - his only chance was to keep hold of Quirrell, keep him in enough pain to stop him from doing a curse.**

**Harry jumped to his feet, caught Quirrell by the arm, and hung on as tight as he could. Quirrell screamed and tried to throw Harry off - the pain in Harry's head was building - he couldn't see - he could only hear Quirrell's terrible shrieks and Voldemort's yells of, "KILL HIM! KILL HIM!" and other voices, maybe in Harry's own head, crying, "Harry! Harry!"**

**He felt Quirrell's arm wrenched from his grasp, knew all was lost, and fell into blackness, down ... down... down...**

"Please be okay, please be okay," Alice was muttering over and over.

**Something gold was glinting just above him. The Snitch! He tried to catch it, but his arms were too heavy.**

**He blinked. It wasn't the Snitch at all. It was a pair of glasses. How strange.**

Ron snorted.

Hermione elbowed him in the gut.

**He blinked again. The smiling face of Albus Dumbledore swam into view above him.**

**"Good afternoon, Harry," said Dumbledore. Harry stared at him. Then he remembered: "Sir! The Stone! It was Quirrell! He's got the Stone! Sir, quick -"**

"You almost died and you're worrying about that stupid stone!" Katie cried.

**"Calm yourself, dear boy, you are a little behind the times," said Dumbledore. "Quirrell does not have the Stone."**

"Thank Merlin," Alicia whispered.

**"Then who does? Sir, I -"**

**"Harry, please relax, or Madam Pomfrey will have me thrown out."**

**Harry swallowed and looked around him. He realized he must be in the hospital wing. He was lying in a bed with white linen sheets, and next to him was a table piled high with what looked like half the candy shop.**

**"Tokens from your friends and admirers," said Dumbledore, beaming. "What happened down in the dungeons between you and Professor Quirrell is a complete secret, so, naturally, the whole school knows. I believe your friends Misters Fred and George Weasley were responsible for trying to send you a toilet seat. No doubt they thought it would amuse you."**

"FRED! GEORGE!" Mrs. Weasley shrieked.

"I agree that Harry needed it more than I did," Ginny grinned.

"Not you too," Mrs. Weasley groaned.

"Sorry mum," Ginny replied cheerfully, smiling at Harry.

**"Madam Pomfrey, however, felt it might not be very hygienic, and confiscated it."**

"Awwww," Fred and George pouted.

**"How long have I been in here?"**

**"Three days. Mr. Ronald Weasley and Miss Granger will be most relieved you have come round, they have been extremely worried."**

**"But sir, the Stone"**

"Harry," older James sighed.

**"I see you are not to be distracted. Very well, the Stone. Professor Quirrell did not manage to take it from you. I arrived in time to prevent that, although you were doing very well on your own, I must say.**

**"You got there? You got Hermione's owl?"**

**"We must have crossed in midair. No sooner had I reached London than it became clear to me that the place I should be was the one I had just left. I arrived just in time to pull Quirrell off you."**

Older Lily pulled Harry closer to her.

**"It was you."**

**"I feared I might be too late."**

"You almost died!" Alice cried.

"Nothing new," Harry shrugged.

**"You nearly were, I couldn't have kept him off the Stone much longer -"**

**"Not the Stone, boy, you - the effort involved nearly killed you. For one terrible moment there, I was afraid it had. As for the Stone, it has been destroyed."**

"Why didn't you just do that in the first place?" Older Sirius demanded.

"We were two old fools," Dumbledore answered.

Older Lily and Mrs. Weasley glared.

**"Destroyed?" said Harry blankly. "But your friend - Nicolas Flamel -"**

**"Oh, you know about Nicolas?" said Dumbledore, sounding quite delighted. "You did do the thing properly, didn't you? Well, Nicolas and I have had a little chat, and agreed it's all for the best."**

**"But that means he and his wife will die, won't they?"**

"Do you ever worry about yourself?" older Lily asked.

"Rarely," Harry shrugged.

"That means never," Ginny added.

Harry mock glared at her.

**"They have enough Elixir stored to set their affairs in order and then, yes, they will die."**

**Dumbledore smiled at the look of amazement on Harry's face.**

**"To one as young as you, I'm sure it seems incredible, but to Nicolas and Perenelle, it really is like going to bed after a very, very long day. After all, to the well-organized mind, death is but the next great adventure. You know, the Stone was really not such a wonderful thing. As much money and life as you could want! The two things most human beings would choose above all - the trouble is, humans do have a knack of choosing precisely those things that are worst for them." Harry lay there, lost for words. Dumbledore hummed a little and smiled at the ceiling.**

**"Sir?" said Harry. "I've been thinking... sir - even if the Stone's gone, Vol-, I mean, You-Know- Who -"**

**"Call him Voldemort, Harry. Always use the proper name for things. Fear of a name increases fear of the thing itself."**

**"Yes, sir. Well, Voldemort's going to try other ways of coming back, isn't he?"**

"Sadly," Ron muttered.

**"I mean, he hasn't gone, has he?"**

**"No, Harry, he has not. He is still out there somewhere, perhaps looking for another body to share... not being truly alive, he cannot be killed. He left Quirrell to die; he shows just as little mercy to his followers as his enemies. Nevertheless, Harry, while you may only have delayed his return to power, it will merely take someone else who is prepared to fight what seems a losing battle next time - and if he is delayed again, and again, why, he may never return to power."**

"One can wish," older Sirius said.

"You mean he came back?" Alice gasped.

Harry nodded.

Frank's eyes darkened.

Young Sirius closed his eyes.

Young Remus's hands balled into fist.

"If he came back, than why are we sitting here and not fighting him?" Young Lily demanded.

"You'll see," Hermione said kindly.

**Harry nodded, but stopped quickly, because it made his head hurt. Then he said, "Sir, there are some other things I'd like to know, if you can tell me... things I want to know the truth about..."**

**"The truth." Dumbledore sighed. "It is a beautiful and terrible thing, and should therefore be treated with great caution. However, I shall answer your questions unless I have a very good reason not to, in which case I beg you'll forgive me. I shall not, of course, lie."**

**"Well... Voldemort said that he only killed my mother because she tried to stop him from killing me. But why would he want to kill me in the first place?"**

Older James and Lily stiffed up in their seat.

**Dumbledore sighed very deeply this time.**

**"Alas, the first thing you ask me, I cannot tell you. Not today. Not now. You will know, one day... put it from your mind for now, Harry. When you are older... I know you hate to hear this... when you are ready, you will know."**

Older James and Lily relaxed a little.

**And Harry knew it would be no good to argue.**

**"But why couldn't Quirrell touch me?"**

**"Your mother died to save you. If there is one thing Voldemort cannot understand, it is love. He didn't realize that love as powerful as your mother's for you leaves its own mark. Not a scar, no visible sign... to have been loved so deeply, even though the person who loved us is gone, will give us some protection forever. It is in your very skin. Quirrell, full of hatred, greed, and ambition, sharing his soul with Voldemort, could not touch you for this reason. It was agony to touch a person marked by something so good."**

Everyone turned around to look at older Lily.

"It was old magic. When I learned that Voldemort was after Harry, I began researching ever way possible for him to stay alive," older Lily explained.

"As any mother would do," Mrs. Weasley said.

Older Lily smiled at her.

**Dumbledore now became very interested in a bird out on the windowsill, which gave Harry time to dry his eyes on the sheet.**

Hermione, Ginny, and Luna all came to hug him.

**When he had found his voice again, Harry said, "And the invisibility cloak - do you know who sent it to me?"**

**"Ah - your father happened to leave it in my possession, and I thought you might like it." Dumbledore's eyes twinkled. "Useful things... your father used it mainly for sneaking off to the kitchens to steal food when he was here."**

"And play pranks," older Sirius grinned.

McGonagall huffed.

**"And there's something else..."**

**"Fire away."**

**"Quirrell said Snape -"**

**"Professor Snape, Harry." "Yes, him" **

A few people snickered.

**"- Quirrell said he hates me because he hated my father. Is that true?"**

**"Well, they did rather detest each other. Not unlike yourself and Mr. Malfoy. And then, your father did something Snape could never forgive."**

**"What?"**

**"He saved his life."**

"Yet, he forgot to mention how it was his fault to begin with," Severus snarled.

Young Lily gasped, "That's what you meant!"

"James had nothing to do with it! It was all me!" young Sirius shouted.

"Everyone quiet! It will be explained later!" Harry yelled interrupting the fight he knew was coming.

**"What?"**

**"Yes..." said Dumbledore dreamily. "Funny, the way people's minds work, isn't it? Professor Snape couldn't bear being in your father's debt... I do believe he worked so hard to protect you this year because he felt that would make him and your father even. Then he could go back to hating your father's memory in peace..."**

Older Lily and Snape shared a quick glance. They both knew that wasn't the case.

**Harry tried to understand this but it made his head pound, so he stopped.**

Ron, Fred, and George snorted.

**"And sir, there's one more thing..."**

**"Just the one?"**

**"How did I get the Stone out of the mirror?"**

**"Ah, now, I'm glad you asked me that. It was one of my more brilliant ideas, and between you and me, that's saying something."**

"That's a bit big headed, don't you think?" McGonagall teased her friend.

"If one is brilliant, might as well admit it," Dumbledore replied.

The young Marauders, Harry, Ron, Neville, Dean, Seamus, Fred, Lee, George, Bill, and Charlie laughed.

**"You see, only one who wanted to find the Stone - find it, but not use it - would be able to get it, otherwise they'd just see themselves making gold or drinking Elixir of Life. My brain surprises even me sometimes... Now, enough questions. I suggest you make a start on these sweets. Ah! Bettie Bott's Every Flavor Beans! I was unfortunate enough in my youth to come across a vomit flavored one,"**

"Eww," Lavender squealed.

**"and since then I'm afraid I've rather lost my liking for them"**

"I wonder why," Alicia muttered.

**"but I think I'll be safe with a nice toffee, don't you?"**

**He smiled and popped the golden-brown bean into his mouth. Then he choked and said, "Alas! Ear wax!"**

**Madam Pomfrey, the nurse, was a nice woman, but very strict.**

"What does that have to do with anything?" young Sirius complained.

"Shut up and let me read!" Tonks snapped.

**"Just five minutes," Harry pleaded.**

**"Absolutely not."**

**"You let Professor Dumbledore in..."**

**"Well, of course, that was the headmaster, quite different. You need rest."**

**"I am resting, look, lying down and everything. Oh, go on, Madam Pomfrey..."**

**"Oh, very well," she said. "But five minutes only."**

**And she let Ron and Hermione in.**

**"Harry!"**

**Hermione looked ready to fling her arms around him again, but Harry was glad she held herself in as his head was still very sore.**

**"Oh, Harry, we were sure you were going to - Dumbledore was so worried -"**

**"The whole school's talking about it," said Ron. "What really happened?"**

**It was one of those rare occasions when the true story is even more strange and exciting than the wild rumors. Harry told them everything: Quirrell; the mirror; the Stone; and Voldemort. Ron and Hermione were a very good audience; they gasped in all the right places, and when Harry told them what was under Quirrell's turban, Hermione screamed out loud.**

"Well it was quite a freaking thought to have him in classes with us all year," Hermione defended herself.

"We understand," Dumbledore said kindly.

**"So the Stone's gone?" said Ron finally. "Flamel's just going to die?"**

**"That's what I said, but Dumbledore thinks that - what was it? - 'to the well-organized mind, death is but the next great adventure."**

"It is," Harry said.

"Like you would know, you've never died," young Sirius snorted.

"You'll understand soon enough," Harry said.

Many people were giving him questioning looks, but Dumbledore looked proud.

**"I always said he was off his rocker," said Ron, looking quite impressed at how crazy his hero was.**

"Thank you, Mr. Weasley," Dumbledore said.

Ron grinned.

**"So what happened to you two?" said Harry.**

**"Well, I got back all right," said Hermione. "I brought Ron round - that took a while - and we were dashing up to the owlery to contact Dumbledore when we met him in the entrance hall - he already knew - he just said, 'Harry's gone after him, hasn't he?' and hurtled off to the third floor."**

"Thank Merlin, you got there in time," Mr. Weasley said.

"I shudder to think what would have happened if you didn't," Fleur added.

Many people nodded in agreement.

**"D'you think he meant you to do it?" said Ron. "Sending you your father's cloak and everything?"**

**"Well, " Hermione exploded, "if he did - I mean to say that's terrible - you could have been killed."**

**"No, it isn't," said Harry thoughtfully. "He's a funny man, Dumbledore. I think he sort of wanted to give me a chance. I think he knows more or less everything that goes on here, you know. I reckon he had a pretty good idea we were going to try, and instead of stopping us, he just taught us enough to help. I don't think it was an accident he let me find out how the mirror worked. It's almost like he thought I had the right to face Voldemort if I could..."**

"Why would you do such a thing?!" older Lily demanded.

"He's just a boy!" Mrs. Weasley cried.

"Harry may be a boy, but he's not an ordinary boy. He needed to be able to learn how to handle himself in certain situations." Dumbledore explained.

"You could have taught him better than just feeding him to the dogs!" older James yelled.

"It's a good thing he let me. It helped me when I was older," Harry said.

All the adults looked at Harry sadly.

**"Yeah, Dumbledore's off his rocker, all right," said Ron proudly. "Listen, you've got to be up for the end-of-year feast tomorrow. The points are all in and Slytherin won, of course - you missed the last Quidditch match, we were steamrollered by Ravenclaw without you - but the food'll be good."**

"So, that's what you meant," young James exclaimed.

**At that moment, Madam Pomfrey bustled over.**

**"You've had nearly fifteen minutes, now OUT" she said firmly.**

**After a good night's sleep, Harry felt nearly back to normal.**

**I want to go to the feast," he told Madam Pomfrey as she straightened his many candy boxes. I can, can't I?"**

**"Professor Dumbledore says you are to be allowed to go," she said stiffily, as though in her opinion Professor Dumbledore didn't realize how risky feasts could be. "And you have another visitor."**

**"Oh, good," said Harry. "Who is it?"**

**Hagrid sidled through the door as he spoke. As usual when he was indoors, Hagrid looked too big to be allowed. He sat down next to Harry, took one look at him, and burst into tears.**

**"It's - all - my - ruddy - fault!" he sobbed, his face in his hands. I told the evil git how ter get past Fluffy! I told him! It was the only thing he didn't know, an' I told him! Yeh could've died! All fer a dragon egg! I'll never drink again! I should be chucked out an' made ter live as a Muggle!"**

"Oh Hagrid," Hermione sighed.

**"Hagrid!" said Harry, shocked to see Hagrid shaking with grief and remorse, great tears leaking down into his beard. "Hagrid, he'd have found out somehow, this is Voldemort we're talking about, he'd have found out even if you hadn't told him."**

**"Yeh could've died!" sobbed Hagrid. "An' don' say the name!"**

**"VOLDEMORT!" Harry bellowed, and Hagrid was so shocked, he stopped crying. "I've met him and I'm calling him by his name. Please cheer up, Hagrid, we saved the Stone, it's gone, he can't use it. Have a Chocolate Frog, I've got loads..."**

**Hagrid wiped his nose on the back of his hand and said, "That reminds me. I've got yeh a present."**

**"It's not a stoat sandwich, is it?" said Harry anxiously, and at last Hagrid gave a weak chuckle. "Nah. Dumbledore gave me the day off yesterday ter fix it. 'Course, he shoulda sacked me instead - anyway, got yeh this..."**

**It seemed to be a handsome, leather-covered book. Harry opened it curiously. It was full of wizard photographs. Smiling and waving at him from every page were his mother and father.**

Older Lily had tears in her eyes.

"Thank you," older James said, putting his arm around his wife.

Hagrid waved away his thanks, "It was nuthin."

**"Sent owls off ter all yer parents' old school friends, askin' fer photos... knew yeh didn' have any... d'yeh like it?"**

"So, that what that was for," older Remus smiled.

**Harry couldn't speak, but Hagrid understood.**

**Harry made his way down to the end-of-year feast alone that night. He had been held up by Madam Pomfrey's fussing about, insisting on giving him one last checkup, so the Great Hall was already full. It was decked out in the Slytherin colors of green and silver to celebrate Slytherin's winning the house cup for the seventh year in a row. A huge banner showing the Slytherin serpent covered the wall behind the High Table.**

**When Harry walked in there was a sudden hush, and then everybody started talking loudly at once.**

Young Sirius snorted.

**He slipped into a seat between Ron and Hermione at the Gryffindor table and tried to ignore the fact that people were standing up to look at him.**

Young James shook his head.

**Fortunately, Dumbledore arrived moments later. The babble died away.**

**"Another year gone!" Dumbledore said cheerfully. "And I must trouble you with an old man's wheezing waffle before we sink our teeth into our delicious feast. What a year it has been! Hopefully your heads are all a little fuller than they were... you have the whole summer ahead to get them nice and empty before next year starts...**

**"Now, as I understand it, the house cup here needs awarding, and the points stand thus: In fourth place, Gryffindor, with three hundred and twelve points; in third, Hufflepuff, with three hundred and fifty-two; Ravenclaw has four hundred and twenty-six and Slytherin, four hundred and seventy- two."**

**A storm of cheering and stamping broke out from the Slytherin table. Harry could see Draco Malfoy banging his goblet on the table. It was a sickening sight.**

**"Yes, Yes, well done, Slytherin," said Dumbledore. "However, recent events must be taken into account."**

**The room went very still. The Slytherins' smiles faded a little.**

"No!" older James grinned.

"YES!" the Weasley twins cheered.

**"Ahem," said Dumbledore. "I have a few last-minute points to dish out. Let me see. Yes...**

**"First - to Mr. Ronald Weasley..."**

**Ron went purple in the face; he looked like a radish with a bad sunburn.**

Ron's ears went red.

Hermione kissed his check.

**"...for the best-played game of chess Hogwarts has seen in many years, I award Gryffindor house fifty points."**

Almost everyone in the room cheered.

**Gryffindor cheers nearly raised the bewitched ceiling; the stars overhead seemed to quiver. Percy could be heard telling the other prefects, "My brother, you know! My youngest brother! Got past McGonagall's giant chess set!"**

Percy was beaming.

**At last there was silence again.**

**"Second - to Miss Hermione Granger... for the use of cool logic in the face of fire, I award Gryffindor house fifty points."**

Cheers filled the Great Hall.

**Hermione buried her face in her arms; Harry strongly suspected she had burst into tears. Gryffindors up and down the table were beside themselves - they were a hundred points up. "Third - to Mr. Harry Potter..." said Dumbledore. The room went deadly quiet for pure nerve and outstanding courage, I award Gryffindor house sixty points."**

Older Lily, James, Sirius, and Remus were cheering loudest this time.

**The din was deafening. Those who could add up while yelling themselves hoarse knew that Gryffindor now had four hundred and seventy-two points - exactly the same as Slytherin. They had tied for the house cup - if only Dumbledore had given Harry just one more point.**

**Dumbledore raised his hand. The room gradually fell silent.**

**"There are all kinds of courage," said Dumbledore, smiling. "It takes a great deal of bravery to stand up to our enemies, but just as much to stand up to our friends. I therefore award ten points to Mr. Neville Longbottom."**

This time Frank and Alice were cheering the loudest.

**Someone standing outside the Great Hall might well have thought some sort of explosion had taken place, so loud was the noise that erupted from the Gryffindor table. Harry, Ron, and Hermione stood up to yell and cheer as Neville, white with shock, disappeared under a pile of people hugging him. He had never won so much as a point for Gryffindor before. Harry, still cheering, nudged Ron in the ribs and pointed at Malfoy, who couldn't have looked more stunned and horrified if he'd just had the Body-Bind Curse put on him.**

Everyone was celebrating again for Gryffindor's victory.

**"Which means', Dumbledore called over the storm of applause, for even Ravenclaw and Hufflepuff were celebrating the downfall of Slytherin, "we need a little change of decoration."**

**He clapped his hands. In an instant, the green hangings became scarlet and the silver became gold; the huge Slytherin serpent vanished and a towering Gryffindor lion took its place. Snape was shaking Professor McGonagall's hand, with a horrible, forced smile.**

"That would have been funny to see," Bill snorted.

A few people chuckled in agreement.

**He caught Harry's eye and Harry knew at once that Snape's feelings toward him hadn't changed one jot. **

"Course not," older James muttered.

**This didn't worry Harry. It seemed as though life would be back to normal next year, or as normal as it ever was at Hogwarts.**

"As if," Fred muttered.

**It was the best evening of Harry's life, better than winning at Quidditch, or Christmas, or knocking out mountain trolls... he would never, ever forget tonight.**

**Harry had almost forgotten that the exam results were still to come, but come they did. To their great surprise, both he and Ron passed with good marks; Hermione, of course, had the best grades of the first years. Even Neville scraped through, **

"Why wouldn't he?" Alice snapped.

"It's okay mum," Neville told her.

**his good Herbology mark making up for his abysmal Potions one.**

"Good job," Frank smiled.

"Thanks dad," Neville replied.

**They had hoped that Goyle, who was almost as stupid as he was mean, might be thrown out, but he had passed, too. It was a shame, but as Ron said, you couldn't have everything in life.**

The hall rang out with laughter.

**And suddenly, their wardrobes were empty, their trunks were packed, Neville's toad was found lurking in a corner of the toilets; notes were handed out to all students, warning them not to use magic over the holidays ("I always hope they'll forget to give us these," said Fred Weasley sadly); **

"I know. It's a shame they never do," young Sirius agreed.

Young James and Remus nodded.

**Hagrid was there to take them down to the fleet of boats that sailed across the lake; they were boarding the Hogwarts Express; talking and laughing as the countryside became greener and tidier; eating Bettie Bott's Every Flavor Beans as they sped past Muggle towns; pulling off their wizard robes and putting on jackets and coats; pulling into platform nine and three-quarters at King's Cross Station.**

**It took quite a while for them all to get off the platform. A wizened old guard was up by the ticket barrier, letting them go through the gate in twos and threes so they didn't attract attention by all bursting out of a solid wall at once and alarming the Muggles.**

"The looks on the muggles faces would be pretty funny," older Ron said.

Harry snorted at the thought.

**"You must come and stay this summer," said Ron, "both of you - I'll send you an owl."**

**"Thanks," said Harry, "I'll need something to look forward to." People jostled them as they moved forward toward the gateway back to the Muggle world. Some of them called:**

**"Bye, Harry!"**

**"See you, Potter!"**

**"Still famous," said Ron, grinning at him.**

"Let's see," Fred started.

"Survived a killing curse," George added.

"Won a bunch of Quidditch matches," Fred continued.

"Faced You-Know-Who for a second time," George went on.

"And won," Fred put in.

"All by the age of eleven," George smiled.

"I think that would make anybody famous," Fred finished.

"Oh, shut up," Ron muttered.

**"Not where I'm going, I promise you," said Harry.**

Growls rang out across the room.

**He, Ron, and Hermione passed through the gateway together. "There he is, Mom, there he is, look!"**

**It was Ginny Weasley, Ron's younger sister, but she wasn't pointing at Ron.**

**"Harry Potter!" she squealed. "Look, Mom! I can see-"**

Ginny was blushing.

**"Be quiet, Ginny, and it's rude to point."**

**Mrs. Weasley smiled down at them.**

**"Busy year?" she said.**

**"Very," said Harry. "Thanks for the fudge and the sweater, Mrs. Weasley."**

**"Oh, it was nothing, dear."**

**"Ready, are you?"**

**It was Uncle Vernon, still purple-faced, still mustached, still looking furious at the nerve of Harry, carrying an owl in a cage in a station full of ordinary people. Behind him stood Aunt Petunia and Dudley, looking terrified at the very sight of Harry.**

**"You must be Harry's family!" said Mrs. Weasley.**

**"In a manner of speaking," said Uncle Vernon. "Hurry up, boy, we haven't got all day." He walked away.**

**Harry hung back for a last word with Ron and Hermione.**

**"See you over the summer, then."**

**"Hope you have - er - a good holiday," said Hermione, looking uncertainly after Uncle Vernon, shocked that anyone could be so unpleasant.**

**"Oh, I will," said Harry, and they were surprised at the grin that was spreading over his face. "They don't know we're not allowed to use magic at home. I'm going to have a lot of fun with Dudley this summer..."**

"That's my boy," older James said, clapping Harry on the back.

"And that's the end of the book," Tonks announced.

"Time for food!" younger Sirius shouted.

Young Remus rolled his eyes.

"We can start the next book after dinner," Dumbledore agreed.

"WOO!" most the males in the room cheered.

_AN: I am so so so sorry for the long wait on the update. I can't say that enough. I've been really busy with school and I've had some health problems lately. Thanks for all the reviews, follows, and favorites. Also, I have not given up all this story, and I don't intend to. I should be able to start the second book soon (it depends on how much work my teachers feel like giving). Thanks for reading!_


	19. The Worst Birthday

_Disclaimer: I don't own Harry Potter. _

After dinner everyone settled in the middle of the Great Hall to begin the next book.

"Who wants to read?" Dumbledore asked.

"I do," Luna said.

Dumbledore passed her the book.

"Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets," she read.

Ginny shuddered in her seat between her Hermione and Luna. The two girls hugged their friend.

"You can leave anytime you need to," Harry told her.

"If you make it through these dumb books then so can I," Ginny replied.

Harry smiled at her.

"What's the Chamber of Secrets?" Alice asked.

"I think I've read the name somewhere before," younger Remus mused.

"Well if you'll all stop talking you and let the girl read we'll find out," young Lily snapped.

Younger James rolled his eyes.

**"The Worst Birthday" **Luna read.

**Not for the first time, an argument had broken out over breakfast at number four, Privet Drive. Mr. Vernon Dursley had been woken in the early hours of the morning by a loud, hooting noise from his nephew Harry's room.**  
**"Third time this week!" he roared across the table. "If you can't control that owl, it'll have to go!"**  
**Harry tried, yet again, to explain.**  
**"She's bored ," he said. "She's used to flying around outside. If I could just let her out at night-"**  
"You haven't been able to let her out? That's not good for an owl," Charlie said.

"I know," Harry said, sadly thinking of the death of his poor owl.

Ginny reached across the table and grabbed his hand.

He smiled at her.

**"Do I look stupid?" snarled Uncle Vernon,**

"Yes," almost everyone in the room said.

** a bit of fried egg dangling from his bushy mustache. "I know what'll happen if that owl's let out."**  
**He exchanged dark looks with his wife, Petunia.**  
**Harry tried to argue back but his words were drowned by a long, loud belch from the Dursleys' son, Dudley.**  
**"I want more bacon."**  
**"There's more in the frying pan, sweetums," said Aunt Petunia, turning misty eyes on her massive son. "We must build you up while we've got the chance... I don't like the sound of that school food..."**  
"Like he needs building up!" Mrs. Weasley snarled, "You give me too much and your nephew nothing!"  
**"Nonsense, Petunia, I never went hungry when I was at Smeltings," said Uncle Vernon heartily. "Dudley gets enough, don't you, son?"**  
**Dudley, who was so large his bottom drooped over either side of the kitchen chair, grinned and turned to Harry.**  
**"Pass the frying pan."**  
**"You've forgotten the magic word," said Harry irritably.**  
"Uh oh," Ron muttered.  
**The effect of this simple sentence on the rest of the family was incredible: Dudley gasped and fell off his chair with a crash that shook the whole kitchen;**

The younger Marauders snorted.

** Mrs. Dursley gave a small scream and clapped her hands to her mouth;**

"Still over dramatic as ever," young Severus muttered.

** Mr. Dursley jumped to his feet, veins throbbing in his temples.**  
**"I meant please'!" said Harry quickly. "I didn't mean-"**  
**"WHAT HAVE I TOLD YOU," thundered his uncle, spraying spit over the table,**

"Eww," Lavender said.

** "ABOUT SAYING THE M'WORD IN OUR HOUSE?"**

"Talk about over reacting," Lee said.  
**"But I-"**  
**"HOW DARE YOU THREATEN DUDLEY!" **

"He didn't threaten anyone!" older Sirius snapped.

**roared Uncle Vernon, pounding the table with his fist.**  
**"I just-"**  
**"I WARNED YOU! I WILL NOT TOLERATE MENTION OF YOUR ABNORMALITY UNDER THIS ROOF!"**  
"Abnormality? He's not abnormal! You are!" older James cried.  
**Harry stared from his purple-faced uncle to his pale aunt, who was trying to heave Dudley to his feet.**

"Good luck," George snorted.  
**"All right," said Harry, " all right..."**  
**Uncle Vernon sat back down, breathing like a winded rhinoceros and watching Harry closely out of the corners of his small, sharp eyes.**  
**Ever since Harry had come home for the summer holidays, Uncle Vernon had been treating him like a bomb that might go off at any moment, because Harry Potter wasn't a normal boy. As a matter of fact, he was as not normal as it is possible to be.**  
**Harry Potter was a wizard - a wizard fresh from his first year at Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry. And if the Dursleys were unhappy to have him back for the holidays, it was nothing to how Harry felt.**  
**He missed Hogwarts so much it was like having a constant stomachache. He missed the castle, with its secret passageways and ghosts, his classes (though perhaps not Snape, the Potions master), **

"He's your son," older Lily muttered to her husband.

Older James grinned.

**the mail arriving by owl, eating banquets in the Great Hall, sleeping in his four-poster bed in the tower dormitory, visiting the gamekeeper, Hagrid, in his cabin next to the Forbidden Forest in the grounds, and, especially, Quidditch, the most popular sport in the wizarding world (six tall goal posts, four flying balls, and fourteen players on broomsticks).**  
**All Harry's spellbooks, his wand, robes, cauldron, and top-of-the-line Nimbus Two Thousand broomstick had been locked in a cupboard under the stairs by Uncle Vernon the instant Harry had come home.**

"WHAT!?" older Lily shouted.

"THEY CAN'T DO THAT!" older Remus shouted.

"HOW IS HE SUPPOSE TO PRACTICE FOR QUIDDITCH?!" older James yelled.

** What did the Dursleys care if Harry lost his place on the House Quidditch team because he hadn't practiced all summer?**

"I wasn't going to kick you off the team Harry," Oliver said.

"I didn't know that," Harry shrugged.

Oliver opened his mouth to argue, but was cut off.

"There's no point Oliver. That's just how Harry thinks," Hermione said.

"If you had my life you'd think this way to," Harry muttered darkly.

"We know Harry," Ginny said, softly.

Harry squeezed her hand.

** What was it to the Dursleys if Harry went back to school without any of his homework done? The Dursleys were what wizards called Muggles (not a drop of magical blood in their veins), and as far as they were concerned, having a wizard in the family was a matter of deepest shame.**

"It should be a honor!" McGonagall snarled.

** Uncle Vernon had even padlocked Harry's owl, Hedwig, inside her cage,**

"That's animal cruelty!" Charlie exclaimed.

Hagrid was growling beside him.

** to stop her from carrying messages to anyone in the wizarding world.**  
**Harry looked nothing like the rest of the family.**

"Thank Merlin," younger James muttered.

Young Remus elbowed him in the side.

"What? I don't want my son looking like those creatures!" young James exclaimed.

A few people laughed. Young Lily caught herself giggling, but quickly stopped.

** Uncle Vernon was large and neckless, with an enormous black mustache; Aunt Petunia was horse-faced and bony; Dudley was blond, pink, and porky. Harry, on the other hand, was small and skinny, with brilliant green eyes and jet-black hair that was always untidy. He wore round glasses, and on his forehead was a thin, lightning-shaped scar.**  
**It was this scar that made Harry so particularly unusual, even for a wizard. This scar was the only hint of Harry's very mysterious past, of the reason he had been left on the Dursleys'doorstep eleven years before.**  
Everyone looked at the floor and fell silent for a moment.  
**At the age of one year old, Harry had somehow survived a curse from the greatest Dark sorcerer of all time, Lord Voldemort, whose name most witches and wizards still feared to speak. Harry's parents had died in Voldemort's attack,**

Everyone bent their heads down in respect for a moment.

Ginny squeezed Harry's hand.

** but Harry had escaped with his lightning scar, and somehow - nobody understood why -Voldemort's powers had been destroyed the instant he had failed to kill Harry.**  
"Thank Merlin," older Lily murmured.  
**So Harry had been brought up by his dead mother's sister and her husband. He had spent ten years with the Dursleys, never understanding why he kept making odd things happen without meaning to, believing the Dursleys'story that he had got his scar in the car crash that had killed his parents.**  
**And then, exactly a year ago, Hogwarts had written to Harry, and the whole story had come out. Harry had taken up his place at wizard school, where he and his scar were famous... but now the school year was over, and he was back with the Dursleys for the summer, back to being treated like a dog that had rolled in something smelly.**  
"I find that slightly insulting," younger Sirius called out.

Almost everyone looked confused, but the one's that understood the joke laughed.  
**The Dursleys hadn't even remembered that today happened to be Harry's twelfth birthday. Of course, his hopes hadn't been high; they'd never given him a real present, let alone a cake - but to ignore it completely...**  
"It was stupid of me to think they cared," Harry mumbled.

"Not it wasn't. As much as you dislike them a small part of you was wanting them to care. Which is perfectly understandable," Hermione said.

Harry smiled at her.  
**At that moment, Uncle Vernon cleared his throat importantly and said, "Now, as we all know, today is a very important day."**  
"You've got to be kidding me," older Remus said.

"Wait for it," Harry said.  
**Harry looked up, hardly daring to believe it.**  
**"This could well be the day I make the biggest deal of my career," said Uncle Vernon.**  
"So you ignore a sweet boy's birthday for a deal for business!" Alice exclaimed.

"Harry, if you would have told us, we could have celebrated," Mrs. Weasley said.

"It's not important," Harry shrugged, blushing.

"But it is Harry. You shouldn't have been treated like this. You should have grown up cared for and loved," older Sirius said, sadly. He was looking at the ground, with guilt flooding his whole body.

"It's not your fault, Sirius," Harry said.

Older Sirius looked at his godson and smiled sadly.  
**Harry went back to his toast. Of course , he thought bitterly, Uncle Vernon was talking about the stupid dinner party . He'd been talking of nothing else for two weeks. Some rich builder and his wife were coming to dinner and Uncle Vernon was hoping to get a huge order from him (Uncle Vernon's company made drills).**  
Older James walked out of the room.

"Go on, he'll be back in a moment," older Lily said.  
**"I think we should run through the schedule one more time," said Uncle Vernon. "We should all be in position at eight o'clock. Petunia, you will be -?"**  
**"In the lounge," said Aunt Petunia promptly, "waiting to welcome them graciously to our home."**  
"They have to plan out how to be nice?" Cho asked in disgust.

"Even then, they're not that nice," Harry said.

"I'm sorry Harry," Cho smiled.

Ginny glared at her.

Ron snorted.

Hermione hit him.

"What just happened?" Tonks asked her husband.

"Not a clue," older Remus shrugged.

"Long as I'm not alone," Tonks said.

Older Remus chuckled, and put his arm around her.  
**"Good, good. And Dudley?"**  
**"I'll be waiting to open the door." Dudley put on a foul, simpering smile. "May I take your coats, Mr. and Mrs. Mason?"**  
**"They'll love him!" cried Aunt Petunia rapturously.**  
"They only people able to love him is his parents," Fred snorted.  
**"Excellent, Dudley," said Uncle Vernon. Then he rounded on Harry. "And you?"**  
**"I'll be in my bedroom, making no noise and pretending I'm not there," said Harry tonelessly.**  
"That's a terrible way to treat a child," Mrs. Weasley snarled.

"That's a terrible way to treat anyone," Susan said.  
**"Exactly," said Uncle Vernon nastily. "I will lead them into the lounge, introduce you, Petunia, and pour them drinks. At eight-fifteen-"**  
**"I'll announce dinner," said Aunt Petunia.**  
**"And, Dudley, you'll say-"**  
**"May I take you through to the dining room, Mrs. Mason?" said Dudley, offering his fat arm to an invisible woman.**  
**"My perfect little gentleman!" sniffed Aunt Petunia.**  
Everyone started laughing.  
**"And you?" said Uncle Vernon viciously to Harry.**  
**"I'll be in my room, making no noise and pretending I'm not there," said Harry dully.**  
"Oh, Harry," Hermione said.

"It's not important, Hermione. This was years ago," Harry replied.

"That doesn't make it right," Hermione said.  
**"Precisely. Now, we should aim to get in a few good compliments at dinner. Petunia, any ideas?"**  
**"Vernon tells me you're a wonderful golfer, Mr. Mason... Do tell me where you bought your dress, Mrs. Mason..."**  
**"Perfect... Dudley?"**  
**"How about - 'We had to write an essay about our hero at school, Mr. Mason, and I wrote about you .'"**  
"That has to be one of the worst compliments I've ever heard," Tonks commented.  
**This was too much for both Aunt Petunia and Harry. Aunt Petunia burst into tears and hugged her son, while Harry ducked under the table so they wouldn't see him laughing.**  
Everyone in the hall was laughing, too.  
**"And you, boy?"**  
"His name is Harry!" older Lily cried.  
**Harry fought to keep his face straight as he emerged.**  
**"I'll be in my room, making no noise and pretending I'm not there," he said.**  
"How did you manage that?" Ron asked.

"Not sure," Harry answered.  
**"Too right, you will." said Uncle Vernon forcefully. "The Masons don't know anything about you and it's going to stay that way. When dinner's over, you take Mrs. Mason back to the lounge for coffee, Petunia, and I'll bring the subject around to drills. With any luck, I'll have the deal signed and sealed before the news at ten. be shopping for a vacation home in Majorca this time to morrow."**  
**Harry couldn't feel too excited about this. He didn't think the Dursleys would like him any better in Majorca than they did on Privet Drive.**  
"Probably not. I doubt that they would even take you anyway," older Remus mused.  
**"Right - I'm off into town to pick up the dinner jackets for Dudley and me. And you ," he snarled at Harry. "You stay out of your aunt's way while she's cleaning."**  
**Harry left through the back door. It was a brilliant, sunny day. He crossed the lawn, slumped down on the garden bench, and sang under his breath:**  
**"Happy birthday to me... happy birthday to me..."**  
Older James walked back into the room and sat down between his wife and best friend.

**No cards, no presents, and he would be spending the evening pretending not to exist. He gazed miserably into the hedge. He had never felt so lonely. More than anything else at Hogwarts, more even than playing Quidditch, Harry missed his best friends, Ron Weasley and Hermione Granger. They, however, didn't seem to be missing him at all. Neither of them had written to him all summer, even though Ron had said he was going to ask Harry to come and stay.**  
"Why are you not writing to him?" older Sirius demanded.

"It's not what it seems like. Just listen to the story and you'll understand," Harry said.  
**Countless times, Harry had been on the point of unlocking Hedwig's cage by magic and sending her to Ron and Hermione with a letter, but it wasn't worth the risk. Underage wizards weren't allowed to use magic outside of school. Harry hadn't told the Dursleys this; he knew it was only their terror that he might turn them all into dung beetles that stopped them from locking him in the cupboard under the stairs with his wand and broomstick. For the first couple of weeks back, Harry had enjoyed muttering nonsense words under his breath and watching Dudley tearing out of the room as fast as his fat legs would carry him. But the long silence from Ron and Hermione had made Harry feel so cut off from the magical world that even taunting Dudley had lost its appeal - and now Ron and Hermione had forgotten his birthday.**  
"Oh Harry, I'm so sorry," Hermione said, throwing her arms around him.

"It's not your fault," Harry replied.

"That doesn't keep me from feeling bad," Hermione sighed.

Ron hugged her.  
**What wouldn't he give now for a message from Hogwarts? From any witch or wizard? He'd almost be glad of a sight of his archenemy, Draco Malfoy, just to be sure it hadn't all been a dream...**  
A few girls started crying at how bad Harry's situation was.  
**Not that his whole year at Hogwarts had been fun. At the very end of last term, Harry had come face-to-face with none other than Lord Voldemort himself. Voldemort might be a ruin of his former self, but he was still terrifying, still cunning, still determined to regain power. Harry had slipped through Voldemort's clutches for a second time, but it had been a narrow escape, and even now, weeks later, Harry kept waking in the night, drenched in cold sweat, wondering where Voldemort was now, remembering his livid face, his wide, mad eyes-**  
Older Lily went very pale.  
**Harry suddenly sat bolt upright on the garden bench. He had been staring absent-mindedly into the hedge - and the hedge was staring back . Two enormous green eyes had appeared among the leaves.**  
"Who's there?" Tonks demanded.  
**Harry jumped to his feet just as a jeering voice floated across the lawn.**  
**"I know what day it is," sang Dudley, waddling toward him.**  
**The huge eyes blinked and vanished.**  
"That was odd," Hannah said.  
**"What?" said Harry, not taking his eyes off the spot where they had been.**  
**"I know what day it is," Dudley repeated, coming right up to him.**  
**"Well done," said Harry. "So you've finally learned the days of the week."**  
A few people snorted.  
**"Today's your birthday ," sneered Dudley. "How come you haven't got any cards? Haven't you even got friends at that freak place?"**  
**"Better not let your mum hear you talking about my school," said Harry coolly.**  
**Dudley hitched up his trousers, which were slipping down his fat bottom.**  
Same people snorted again.  
**"Why're you staring at the hedge?" he said suspiciously.**  
**"I'm trying to decide what would be the best spell to set it on fire," said Harry.**  
Everyone snorted at that.  
**Dudley stumbled backward at once, a look of panic on his fat face.**  
Every started laughing.  
**"You c-can't - Dad told you you're not to do m-magic - he said he'll chuck you out of the house - and you haven't got anywhere else to go - you haven't got any friends to take you-"**  
They laughed harder.  
**"Jiggery pokery!" said Harry in a fierce voice. " Hocus pocus - squiggly wiggly - "**  
And harder.  
**"MUUUUUUM!" howled Dudley, tripping over his feet as he dashed back toward the house. "MUUUUM! He's doing you know what!"**  
And now Luna had to take a five minute break, so everyone could let there giggles out.  
**Harry paid dearly for his moment of fun. As neither Dudley nor the hedge was in any way hurt, Aunt Petunia knew he hadn't really done magic, but he still had to duck as she aimed a heavy blow at his head with the soapy frying pan. Then she gave him work to do, with the promise he wouldn't eat again until he'd finished.**  
"That child abuse!" older Lily exclaimed.  
**While Dudley lolled around watching and eating ice cream, Harry cleaned the windows, washed the car, mowed the lawn, trimmed the flowerbeds, pruned and watered the roses, and repainted the garden bench. The sun blazed overhead, burning the back of his neck. Harry knew he shouldn't have risen to Dudley's bait, but Dudley had said the very thing Harry had been thinking himself... maybe he didn't have any friends at Hogwarts...**  
"Oh Harry, I'm so sorry," Hermione cried.

"Don't be," Harry said, "It's not your fault."  
**Wish they could see famous Harry Potter now , he thought savagely as he spread manure on the flower beds, his back aching, sweat running down his face.**  
Older Lily sighed sadly.  
**It was half past seven in the evening when at last, exhausted, he heard Aunt Petunia calling him.**  
**"Get in here! And walk on the newspaper!"**  
"Of course! Worry more about your floor than your nephew!" Katie yelled.  
**Harry moved gladly into the shade of the gleaming kitchen. On top of the fridge stood tonight's pudding: a huge mound of whipped cream and sugared violets. A loin of roast pork was sizzling in the oven.**  
**"Eat quickly! The Masons will be here soon!" snapped Aunt Petunia, pointing to two slices of bread and a lump of cheese on the kitchen table. **

"That's all she gave you?!" older Lily shrieked.

Harry nodded.

A chair in the corner of the room set on fire.

Older Remus put it out, with a flick of his wand.

**She was already wearing a salmon-pink cocktail dress.**  
"Eww,' Fleur commented.  
**Harry washed his hands and bolted down his pitiful supper. The moment he had finished, Aunt Petunia whisked away his plate. "Upstairs! Hurry!"**  
**As he passed the door to the living room, Harry caught a glimpse of Uncle Vernon and Dudley in bow ties and dinner jackets. He had only just reached the upstairs landing when the door bell rang and Uncle Vernon's furious face appeared at the foot of the stairs.**  
**"Remember, boy - one sound-"**  
Older Remus growled.  
**Harry crossed to his bedroom on tiptoe slipped inside, closed the door, and turned to collapse on his bed. The trouble was, there was already someone sitting on it.**

"What?" older James asked.

"Who was there?" older Sirius asked.

"You'll see," Harry replied, winking at Dobby.

"That's the end of the chapter," Luna announced.

_AN: Thanks for reading!_


	20. Dobby's Warning

"Who wants to read next?" Luna asked?

"I do," Dennis answered.

**"DOBBY'S WARNING," **Dennis read.

**Harry managed not to shout out, but it was a close thing. The little creature on the bed had large, bat-like ears and bulging green eyes the size of tennis balls.**

"A house elf!" young Sirius exclaimed.

"Thank Merlin. A house elf can't cause much harm," older Lily said.

"I wouldn't be too sure of that Lily," older Sirius told her, thinking of Kreacher.

**Harry knew instantly that this was what had been watching him out of the garden hedge that morning.**

"Good eyes Potter," Moody barked.

McGonagall rolled her eyes.

**As they stared at each other, Harry heard Dudley's voice from the hall.**

**"May I take your coats, Mr. and Mrs. Mason?"**

**The creature slipped off the bed and bowed so low that the end of its long, thin nose touched the carpet. Harry noticed that it was wearing what looked like an old pillowcase,**

"It was an old pillow case, sir," Dobby confirmed.

Many people gave Dobby strange looks.

**with rips for arm- and leg-holes.**

**"Er - hello," said Harry nervously.**

**"Harry Potter!" said the creature in a high-pitched voice Harry was sure would carry down the stairs. "So long has Dobby wanted to meet you, sir ... Such an honor it is . . . ."**

"Famous even among house elves," Dean teased.

Harry blushed, "Shut up."

A few people chuckled.

**"Th-thank you," said Harry, edging along the wall and sinking into his desk chair, next to Hedwig, who was asleep in her large cage. He wanted to ask, "What are you?" but thought it would sound too rude, so instead he said, "Who are you?"**

"Such a sweet boy," Mrs. Weasley cooed.

All the Weasley children rolled their eyes.

**"Dobby, sir. Just Dobby. Dobby the house-elf," said the creature.**

**"Oh - really?" said Harry. "Er - I don't want to be rude or anything, but - this isn't a great time for me to have a house-elf in my bedroom."**

**Aunt Petunias high, false laugh sounded from the living room. The elf hung his head.**

**"Not that I'm not pleased to meet you," said Harry quickly, "but, er, is there any particular reason you're here?"**

**"Oh, yes, sir," said Dobby earnestly. "Dobby has come to tell you, sir ... it is difficult, sir ... Dobby wonders where to begin . . . ."**

**"Sit down," said Harry politely, pointing at the bed.**

**To his horror, the elf burst into tears - very noisy tears.**

"I am very sorry, Harry Potter, sir," Dobby said, bowing his head. His ears very flopping around his head.

"It's okay, Dobby. I understand now why you were there and you have made up for everything in the past few years," Harry smiled.

Dobby smiled, too.

**"S-sit down!" he wailed. "Never ... never ever. . . "**

**Harry thought he heard the voices downstairs falter.**

"Oh dear," Alice muttered.

"Don't worry dear. I'm sure everything will turn out just fine," Frank said, hugging her.

**"I'm sorry," he whispered, "I didn't mean to offend you or anything -"**

**"Offend Dobby!" choked the elf. "Dobby has never been asked to sit down by a wizard - like an equal-"**

**Harry, trying to say "Shh!" and look comforting at the same time,**

Fred and George snorted.

Mrs. Weasley heard them, and looked like she wanted to say something to them. However, she looked at George's missing ear and then at Fred. She sighed to herself and tried to fight back tears. Her husband knew what she was thinking, and pulled her closer to him.

**ushered Dobby back onto the bed where he sat hiccoughing, looking like a large and very ugly doll.**

Harry flinched, "I'm sorry, Dobby. I didn't mean that like it sounded."

"It's alright sir," Dobby replied cheerfully.

Ron opened his mouth to say that Harry did mean it like that, but Hermione stepped on his foot under the table.

"Ow!" Ron cried.

Hermion looked at him sweetly.

**At last he managed to control himself, and sat with his great eyes fixed on Harry in an expression of watery adoration.**

"Good," older Lily whispered.

**"You can't have met many decent wizards," said Harry, trying to cheer him up.**

**Dobby shook his head. Then, without warning, he leapt up and started banging his head furiously on the window, shouting, "Bad Dobby! Bad Dobby!"**

Many of the girls in the room gasped.

"Oh poor Dobby," Lavender sighed.

**"Don't - what are you doing?" Harry hissed, springing up and pulling Dobby back onto the bed - Hedwig had woken up with a particularly loud screech and was beating her wings wildly against the bars of her cage.**

**"Dobby had to punish himself, sir," said the elf, who had gone slightly cross-eyed. "Dobby almost spoke ill of his family, sir . . . ."**

"The poor dear," Mrs. Weasley commented.

"This is outragous! How is that even legal!This is slavery!" young Lily shouted.

"Calm down, Lily. We know it's not right, but there is nothing that any of us can do about it," young Remus said.

"Yes we can! When we get back to our time-"

"When we get back to our time we will have forgotten about all this until right before we die. I know you don't like it, because none of us do. I wish when could go back and keep us from dying, but we can't," young James said.

"Well, why not?" young Lily demanded. She was surprised at young James's sincereity.

"If we do the future will be completely different. We don't know if that would be a good future or a bad future. If it turns out worst and more people die then it's not up to us to change it," young James said.

"I guess you have a point," young Lily sighed.

Young James smirked, "Why Miss Evans, did you just admit that I was right for a change?"

"Don't get use to Potter," young Lily teased.

Alice, Frank, young Sirius, and young Remus exchanged a confused look.

The older Marauders and older Lily were chuckling at their past selves.

Young Severus was glaring at young James.

**"Your family?"**

**"The wizard family Dobby serves, sir... DOBBY'S is a houseelf - bound to serve one house and one family forever . ...**

"It's awful!" young Lily cried.

"We know, but just because we can't do anything to change it doesn't mean they can't," young James said, pointing at the people from the present.

"We are working on changing it. You'll hear more about it in book four," Hermione smiled mysterously.

"As long as someone is," young Lily said.

**"Do they know you're here?" asked Harry curiously.**

**Dobby shuddered.**

**"Oh, no, sir, no ... Dobby will have to punish himself most grievously for coming to see you, sir. Dobby will have to shut his ears in the oven door for this. If they ever knew, sir _"**

"That seems like quite the risk you were taking," Kingsley commented.

"It was sir, but Harry Potter had to know." Dobby replied.

"You are a very brave elf, Dobby," older Remus said.

"The bravest," Luna added.

"Sirs and Miss is too kind to Dobby," Dobby said, shaking his head.

**"But won't they notice if you shut your ears in the oven door?"**

**"Dobby doubts it, sir. Dobby is always having to punish himself for something, sir. They lets Dobby get on with it, sir. Sometimes they reminds me to do extra punishments ...**

"Some people are zo cruel," Fluer spat.

Everyone in the room nodded their heads in agreement.

**"But why don't you leave? Escape?"**

**"A house-elf must be set free, sir. And the family will never set Dobby free ... Dobby will serve the family until he dies, sir . . . ."**

"If that is so, how did you get here?" Padma asked.

Dobby just winked in reply.

**Harry stared.**

**"And I thought I had it bad staying here for another four weeks,"**

**he said. "This makes the Dursleys sound almost human. Can't anyone help you? Can't I?"**

"Just like Lily," older Snape thought. He even let himself smile for a moment, but stopped before anyone noticed.

**Almost at once, Harry wished he hadn't spoken. Dobby dissolved again into wails of gratitude.**

**"Please," Harry whispered frantically, "please be quiet. If the Dursleys hear anything, if they know you're here -"**

**"Harry Potter asks if he can help Dobby ... Dobby has heard of your greatness, sir, but of your goodness, Dobby never knew . ...**

"Dobby has a point," Hannah said.

"She's right," Katie agreed.

"We all grew up hearing how wonderful Harry was, but none of us knew just how great he is until we met him," Cho said, smiling at Harry.

Ginny glared at her, and grabbed Harry's hand on the table.

Harry raised his eyebrows at her.

Ginny smiled back.

Ron mimicked gagging behind them.

Hermione hit him.

**Harry, who was feeling distinctly hot in the face, said, "Whatever you've heard about my greatness is a load of rubbish. I'm not even top of my year at Hogwarts; that's Hermione, she -"**

"Honestly, Harry, you don't take enough credit for what you do," Hermione commented.

Harry shrugged.

"She's right," Aberforth called out.

**But he stopped quickly, because thinking about Hermione was painful.**

Older Sirius growled. He hated that Ron and Hermione weren't writing to Harry.

**"Harry Potter is humble and modest," said Dobby reverently, his orb- like eyes aglow. "Harry Potter speaks not of his triumph over He-Who- Must-Not-Be-Named -"**

**"Voldemort?" said Harry.**

A few people in the room shivered.

Harry rolled his eyes.

**Dobby clapped his hands over his bat ears and moaned, "Ah, speak not the name, sir! Speak not the name!"**

**"Sorry" said Harry quickly. "I know lots of people don't like it. My friend Ron -"**

**He stopped again. Thinking about Ron was painful, too.**

"Sorry mate," Ron winced.

"It wasn't your fault," Harry said.

**Dobby leaned toward Harry, his eyes wide as headlights.**

**'Dobby heard tell," he said hoarsely, "that Harry Potter met the Dark Lord for a second time just weeks ago ... that Harry Potter escaped Yet again. "**

**Harry nodded and Dobby's eyes suddenly shone with tears.**

"I wonder when he's going to propose," older Sirius muttered.

Older Remus and Older James burst out laughing.

**"Ah, sir," he gasped, dabbing his face with a corner of the grubby**

**pillowcase he was wearing. "Harry Potter is valiant and bold! He has braved so many dangers already! But Dobby has come to protect Harry Potter, to warn him, even if he does have to shut his ears in the oven door later... Harry Potter must not go back to Hogwarts."**

"What?!" older Lily exclaimed.

"That's crazy!" older James shouted.

"He has to go to Hogwarts to get away from the Dursley's!" older Sirius added.

"It's his home!" Alice added.

"I don't know. As much as I don't like the Dursleys, I think it might have been safer there," Mrs. Weasley commented.

Older Lily paled.

"What happens?!" Older Remus demanded.

"It wasn't all that bad," Harry shrugged.

"It wasn't all that bad! You, Ron, Hermione, Colin, and Justin almost died!" Ginny exclaimed. As soon as she realized what she said, she put her hand over her mouth.

"You almost died, too," Harry reminded her softly.

Ginny nodded holding back tears.

"What happened that almost caused you to died?" older Sirius asked.

"You'll see," Harry replied.

Older Sirius opened his mouth to argue, but Tonks interrupted him.

"Everyone calm down! Harry, Ron, Hermione, Justin, Ginny, and Colin are all right here! Whatever happened didn't kill them! S shut up and let's continue reading!" Tonks yelled.

Dennis read on.

**There was a silence broken only by the chink of knives and forks from downstairs and the distant rumble of Uncle Vernon's voice.**

**"W-what?" Harry stammered. "But I've got to go back - term starts on September first. It's all that's keeping me going. You don't know what it's like here. I don't belong here. I belong in your world - at Hogwarts."**

**"No, no, no," squeaked Dobby, shaking his head so hard his ears flapped. "Harry Potter must stay where he is safe. He is too great, too good, to lose. If Harry Potter goes back to Hogwarts, he will be in mortal danger."**

**"Why?" said Harry in surprise.**

**"There is a plot, Harry Potter. A plot to make most terrible things happen at Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry this year," whispered Dobby, suddenly trembling all over. "Dobby has known it for months, sir. Harry Potter must not put himself in peril. He is too important, sir!"**

**"What terrible things?" said Harry at once. "Who's plotting them?"**

**Dobby made a funny choking noise and then banged his head frantically against the wall.**

**"All right!" cried Harry, grabbing the elf's arm to stop him. "You can't tell me. I understand. But why are you warning me?" A sudden, unpleasant thought struck him. "Hang on - this hasn't got anything to do with Vol- - sorry - with You-Know-Who, has it?**

**You could just shake or nod," he added hastily as Dobby's head tilted worryingly close to the wall again.**

**Slowly, Dobby shook his head.**

**"Not -not He- Who-Must-Not-Be-Named, sir -"**

**But Dobby's eyes were wide and he seemed to be trying to give Harry a hint. Harry, however, was completely lost.**

"Me too," older Sirius muttered.

"Hush!" Tonks commanded.

**"He hasn't got a brother, has he?"**

"Thank Merlin, no," Oliver shivered.

**Dobby shook his head, his eyes wider than ever.**

"What is that suppose to mean?" Frank mused.

"Beats me," young Remus shrugged.

**"Well then, I can't think who else would have a chance of making horrible things happen at Hogwarts," said Harry. "I mean, there's Dumbledore, for one thing - you know who Dumbledore is, don't you?"**

**Dobby bowed his head.**

"Everyone knows who Dumbledore is!" young James cried.

Harry blushed.

"Muggle-borns don't we they first come into the wizarding world. Not much is explained to them," Hermione said.

"She's right. Muggle-borns are just expected to figure it all out within a matter of seconds," Justin added.

"If you don't know what certain things are you just get laughed at," Dean agreed.

"We'll have to do something about that," McGonagall mused.

"Can everyone be quiet! I want to hear about why my son also died!" older James shouted.

"That comes at the end of the book, dad," Harry said.

"Quiet," older James snapped.

Denis went on.

**"Albus Dumbledore is the greatest headmaster Hogwarts has ever had. Dobby knows it, sir. Dobby has heard Dumbledore's powers rival those of He-Who-Must-Not-Be-Named at the height of his strength. But, sir" - Dobby's voice dropped to an urgent whisper - "there are powers Dumbledore doesn't ... powers no decent wizard. . ."**

"What powers?" Fred asked.

George shrugged.

Older James glared at them.

**And before Harry could stop him, Dobby bounded off the bed, seized Harry's desk lamp, and started beating himself around the head with earsplitting yelps.**

**A sudden silence fell downstairs. Two seconds later Harry, heart thudding madly, heard Uncle Vernon coming into the hall, calling, "Dudley must have left his television on again, the little tyke!"**

**"Quick! In the closet!" hissed Harry, stuffing Dobby in, shutting the door, and flinging himself onto the bed just as the door handle turned.**

**"What - the - devil - are - you - doing?" said Uncle Vernon through gritted teeth, his face horribly close to Harry's. "You've just ruined the punch line of my Japanese golfer joke ... One more sound and you'll wish you'd never been born, boy!"**

**He stomped flat-footed from the room.**

**Shaking, Harry let Dobby out of the closet.**

**"See what it's like here?" he said. "See why I've got to go back to Hogwarts? It's the only place I've got -well, I think I've got friends. "**

**"Friends who don't even write to Harry Potter?" said Dobby slyly.**

**"I expect they've just been - wait a minute," said Harry, frowning. "How do you know my friends haven't been writing to me?"**

**Dobby shuffled his feet.**

**"Harry Potter mustn't be angry with Dobby. Dobby did it for the best - "**

"That's illegal!" Alice cried.

"Don't be angry at Dobby. Dobby was trying to protect Harry Potter," Dobby explained.

**"Have you been stopping my letters?"**

**"Dobby has them here, sir," said the elf. Stepping nimbly out of Harry's reach, he pulled a thick wad of envelopes from the inside of the pillowcase he was wearing. Harry could make out Hermione's neat writing, Ron's untidy scrawl, and even a scribble that looked as though it was from the Hogwarts gamekeeper, Hagrid.**

**Dobby blinked anxiously up at Harry.**

**"Harry Potter mustn't be angry... Dobby hoped ... if Harry Potter thought his friends had forgotten him ... Harry Potter might not want to go back to school, sir . ...**

**Harry wasn't listening. He made a grab for the letters, but Dobby jumped out of reach.**

**"Harry Potter will have them, sir, if he gives Dobby his word that he will not return to Hogwarts. Ah, sir, this is a danger you must not face! Say you won't go back, sir!"**

**"No," said Harry angrily. "Give me my friends' letters!"**

**"Then Harry Potter leaves Dobby no choice," said the elf sadly.**

"You could have lied," young James said.

"He wouldn't be Harry if he did," Ginny smiled.

Harry blushed.

**Before Harry could move, Dobby had darted to the bedroom door, pulled it open, and sprinted down the stairs.**

**Mouth dry, stomach lurching, Harry sprang after him, trying not to make a sound. He jumped the last six steps, landing catlike on the hall carpet, looking around for Dobby. From the dining room he heard Uncle Vernon saying, ". . . tell Petunia that very funny story about those American plumbers, Mr. Mason. She's been dying to hear. . . "**

**Harry ran up the hall into the kitchen and felt his stomach disappear.**

**Aunt Petunia's masterpiece of a pudding, the mountain of cream and sugared violets, was floating up near the ceiling. On top of a cupboard in the corner crouched Dobby.**

**"No," croaked Harry. "Please ... they'll kill me ..."**

"He's not exaggerating either," older Sirius muttered sadly.

**"Harry Potter must say he's not going back to school -"**

**"Dobby ... please ...**

**"Say it, sir -"**

**"I can't -"**

**Dobby gave him a tragic look.**

**"Then Dobby must do it, sir, for Harry Potter's own good."**

**The pudding fell to the floor with a heart-stopping crash. Cream splattered the windows and walls as the dish shattered. With a crack like a whip, Dobby vanished.**

**There were screams from the dining room and Uncle Vernon burst into the kitchen to find Harry, rigid with shock, covered from head to foot in Aunt Petunias pudding.**

**At first, it looked as though Uncle Vernon would manage to gloss the whole thing over. ("Just our nephew - very disturbed**

**meeting strangers upsets him, so we kept him upstairs") He**

**shooed the shocked Masons back into the dining room, promised Harry he would flay him to within an inch of his life when the Masons had left, and handed him a mop. **

"If you so much as lay a hand on him," older Lily growled.

**Aunt Petunia dug some ice cream out of the freezer and Harry, still shaking, started scrubbing the kitchen clean.**

**Uncle Vernon might still have been able to make his deal - if it hadn't been for the owl.**

**Aunt Petunia was just passing around a box of after-dinner mints when a huge barn owl swooped through the dining room window, dropped a letter on Mrs. Mason's head, and swooped out again. Mrs. Mason screamed like a banshee and ran from the house shouting about lunatics.**

"Just now figured that out," Lee laughed.

**Mr. Mason stayed just long enough to tell the Dursleys that his wife was mortally afraid of birds of all shapes and sizes, and to ask whether this was their idea of a joke.**

**Harry stood in the kitchen, clutching the mop for support, as Uncle Vernon advanced on him, a demonic glint in his tiny eyes.**

**"Read it!" he hissed evilly, brandishing the letter the owl had delivered. "Go on - read it!"**

**Harry took it. It did not contain birthday greetings.**

**Dear Mr. Potter,**

**We have received intelligence that a Hover Charm was used at your place of residence this evening at twelve minutes past nine.**

**As you know, underage wizards are not permitted to perform spells outside school, and further spellwork on your part may lead to expulsion from said school (Decree for the Reasonable Restriction of Underage Sorcery, 1875, Paragraph C).**

**We would also ask you to remember that any magical activity that risks notice by members of the non-magical community (Muggles) is a serious offense under section 13 of the International Confederation of Warlocks' Statute of Secrecy.**

**Enjoy your holidays! Yours sincerely,**

**Mafalda Hopkirk**

**IMPROPER USE OF MAGIC OFFICE**

**Ministry of Magic**

**Harry looked up from the letter and gulped.**

"But he didn't do it!" Hannah cried.

"It doesn't matter it was where he lived and nobody else could do magic in that house. The only reason that makes since to the ministry is that Harry did it," Kingsley said.

"It's just not fair," Ernie said.

"Life's not fair," Harry said.

**"You didn't tell us you weren't allowed to use magic outside school," said Uncle Vernon, a mad gleam dancing in his eyes. "For got to mention it ... Slipped your mind, I daresay ..."**

"Oh no! Now they're not scared of him anymore!" Susan exclaimed.

**He was bearing down on Harry like a great bulldog, all his teeth bared. "Well, I've got news for you, boy . ... I'm locking you up ... You're never going back to that school ... never ... and if you try and magic yourself out - they'll expel you!"**

"That's cruel!" Padma cried.

"That's the Dursleys," Harry said tonelessly.

**And laughing like a maniac, he dragged Harry back upstairs.**

"Oh my," young Lily gasped.

**Uncle Vernon was as bad as his word. The following morning,**

**he paid a man to fit bars on Harry's window. He himself fitted a cat- flap in the bedroom door, so that small amounts of food could be pushed inside three times a day. They let Harry out to use the bathroom morning and evening. Otherwise, he was locked in his room around the clock.**

"That's not healthy," Mrs. Weasley fretted.

"They didn't care," Harry shrugged.

**Three days later, the Dursleys were showing no sign of relenting, and Harry couldn't see any way out of his situation. He lay on his bed watching the sun sinking behind the bars on the window and wondered miserably what was going to happen to him.**

**What was the good of magicking himself out of his room if Hogwarts would expel him for doing it?**

"They wouldn't have expelled you in that situation," Tonks said.

"But Harry didn't know that. Nobody teaches the people that come from Muggle families the laws. I sometimes still get shocked by some of the things that happen in this world," Hermione explained.

**Yet life at Privet Drive had reached an all-time low. Now that the Dursleys knew they weren't going to wake up as fruit bats, he had lost his only weapon. Dobby might have saved Harry from horrible happenings at Hogwarts, but the way things were going, he'd probably starve to death anyway.**

"Dobby is very sorry, Harry Potter, sir," Dobby squeaked.

"It's okay, Dobby. I forgave you a long time ago," Harry said.

**The cat-flap rattled and Aunt Petunias hand appeared, pushing a bowl of canned soup into the room. Harry, whose insides were aching with hunger, jumped off his bed and seized it. The soup was stone-cold, but he drank half of it in one gulp. Then he crossed the room to Hedwig's cage and tipped the soggy vegetables at the bottom of the bowl into her empty food tray. She ruffled her feathers and gave him a look of deep disgust.**

**"It's no good turning your beak up at it - that's all we've got," said Harry grimly.**

**He put the empty bowl back on the floor next to the cat-flap and lay back down on the bed, somehow even hungrier than he had been before the soup.**

**Supposing he was still alive in another four weeks, what would happen if he didn't turn up at Hogwarts? Would someone be sent to see why he hadn't come back? Would they be able to make the Dursleys let him go?**

**The room was growing dark. Exhausted, stomach rumbling, mind spinning over the same unanswerable questions, Harry fell into an uneasy sleep.**

**He dreamed that he was on show in a zoo, with a card reading UNDERAGE WIZARD attached to his cage. People goggled through the bars at him as he lay, starving and weak, on a bed of straw. He saw Dobby's face in the crowd and shouted out, asking for help, but Dobby called, "Harry Potter is safe there, sir!" and vanished. Then the Dursleys appeared and Dudley rattled the bars of the cage, laughing at him.**

"You have the weirdest dreams mate," Ron commented.

"That's better than most the ones I have," Harry muttered.

Older Lily and James looked at Harry worriedly.

**"Stop it," Harry muttered as the rattling pounded in his sore head. "Leave me alone ... cut it out ... I'm trying to sleep . . . ."**

**He opened his eyes. Moonlight was shining through the bars on the window. And someone was goggling through the bars at him: a freckle- faced, red-haired, long-nosed someone.**

**Ron Weasley was outside Harry's window.**

"Oh thank Merlin Harry has friends like you," older Lily smiled.

"He would have done the same for me," Ron shrugged.

"That's the end of the chapter," Dennis said.

_AN: Sorry for the long wait. On the bright side school is out so I have more time for writing. I'll try to have at least a chapter up a week for the entire summer. Thanks for all the reviews, follows, and favorites._


	21. The Burrow

_Disclaimer: I haven't put this up it awhile. So just in case I had anyone fooled I am not J.K. Rowling._

"Who wants to read next?" Dennis asked.

"I do," Frank said.

"**THE BURROW,**" he started.

"Home sweet home," Fred smiled.

Mrs. Weasley tried to smile at him, but couldn't thinking he'll never come home again.

**"Ron," breathed Harry, creeping to the window and pushing it up so they could talk through the bars. "Ron, how did you - What the -?"**

**Harry's mouth fell open as the full impact of what he was seeing hit him. Ron was leaning out of the back window of an old turquoise car, which was parked in midair Grinning at Harry from the front seats were Fred and George, Ron's elder twin brothers.**

"What? Did you think we would let him go alone?" George demanded.

"All right, Harry?" asked George.

"Does he look alright to you?" young Lily snapped.

"Lily, it's not his fault calm down," young James said.

To everyone's surprise, young Lily nodded.

**"What's been going on?" said Ron. "Why haven't you been answering my letters? I've asked you to stay about twelve times, and then Dad came home and said you'd got an official warning for using magic in front of Muggles -"**

"How did he know?" older James muttered.

**"It wasn't me - and how did he know?"**

Older James blinked.

Older Sirius smirked.

**"He works for the Ministry,"**

"Ohhh," older James muttered.

**said Ron. "You know we're not supposed to do spells outside school -"**

"It wasn't him!" young Remus cried.

"I know that now," Ron pointed out.

**"You should talk," said Harry, staring at the floating car.**

"Where did you get that?" young Sirius asked smirking.

"Whatever you do, don't tell him. He's planning on using it in our time to cause trouble," young Lily begged.

"I would do no such thing," young Sirius said, holding a hand to his chest pretending to be hurt.

Young James and young Remus snorted.

Young Sirius glared at them.

**"Oh, this doesn't count," said Ron. "We're only borrowing this. It's Dad's, we didn't enchant it. But doing magic in front of those Muggles you live with -"**

"I love this kid," young Sirius exclaimed.

"Er, thanks, but why?" Ron asked.

"It doesn't count, because you borrowed it. Beautiful," young Sirius answered.

"Uh, thanks," Ron said.

"We were there, too" Fred and George cried together.

Young Sirius shrugged.

**"I told you, I didn't - but it'll take too long to explain now look, can you tell them at Hogwarts that the Dursleys have locked me up and won't let me come back, and obviously I can't magic myself out, because the Ministry'Il think that's the second spell I've done in three days, so -"**

**"Stop gibbering," said Ron. "We've come to take you home with us."**

"How?" older Lily asked.

"Pranksters," the older Marauders replied.

"I should have known," older Lily sighed.

The three men chuckled.

**"But you can't magic me out either -"**

"I'm so disappointed. You forgot the twins," older James teased.

Harry smiled.

**"We don't need to," said Ron, jerking his head toward the front seat and grinning. "You forget who I've got with me."**

"YOU THINK LIKE A MARAUDER!" Fred shouted.

"WE'RE SO PROUD OF YOU!" George finished

Ron blushed.

**"Tie that around the bars," said Fred, throwing the end of a rope to Harry.**

**"If the Dursleys wake up, I'm dead," said Harry as he tied the rope tightly around a bar and Fred revved up the car.**

**"Don't worry," said Fred, "and stand back."**

**Harry moved back into the shadows next to Hedwig, who seemed to have realized how important this was and kept still and silent.**

"She's a smart owl," Charlie commented.

"She was," Harry muttered.

Hermione and Ginny hugged him.

**The car revved louder and louder and suddenly, with a crunching noise, the bars were pulled clean out of the window as Fred drove straight up in the air. Harry ran back to the window to see the bars dangling a few feet above the ground. Panting, Ron hoisted them up into the car. Harry listened anxiously, but there was no sound from the Dursleys' bedroom.**

"Good," older Lily whispered.

**When the bars were safely in the back seat with Ron, Fred reversed as close as possible to Harry's window.**

**"Get in," Ron said.**

**"But all my Hogwarts stuff - my wand - my broomstick -"**

**"Where is it?"**

**"Locked in the cupboard under the stairs, and I can't get out of this room -"**

**"No problem," said George from the front passenger seat. "Out of the way, Harry."**

**Fred and George climbed catlike through the window into Harry's room. You had to hand it to them, thought Harry, as George took an ordinary hairpin from his pocket and started to pick the lock.**

**"A lot of wizards think it's a waste of time, knowing this sort of Muggle trick," said Fred, "but we feel they're skills worth learning, even if they are a bit slow."**

**There was a small click and the door swung open.**

**"So - we'll get your trunk - you grab anything you need from your room and hand it out to Ron," whispered George.**

**"Watch out for the bottom stair - it creaks," Harry whispered back as the twins disappeared onto the dark landing.**

**Harry dashed around his room, collecting his things and passing them out of the window to Ron. Then he went to help Fred and George heave his trunk up the stairs. Harry heard Uncle Vernon cough.**

"Get out of there quick!" older Sirius commanded.

**At last, panting, they reached the landing, then carried the trunk through Harry's room to the open window. Fred climbed back into the car to pull with Ron, and Harry and George pushed from the bedroom side. Inch by inch, the trunk slid through the window.**

**Uncle Vernon coughed again.**

"Run!" Tonks yelled.

**"A bit more," panted Fred, who was pulling from inside the car. "One good push -"**

**Harry and George threw their shoulders against the trunk and it slid out of the window into the back seat of the car.**

**"Okay, let's go," George whispered.**

**But as Harry climbed onto the windowsill there came a sudden loud screech from behind him, followed immediately by the thunder of Uncle Vernon's voice.**

**"THAT RUDDY OWL!"**

"Oh no!" Alice cried.

"How could you forget Hedwig?!" Charlie demanded.

"She was being so quiet. It was very unusual for her," Harry explained.

**"I've forgotten Hedwig!"**

**Harry tore back across the room as the landing light clicked on - he snatched up Hedwig's cage, dashed to the window, and passed it out to Ron. He was scrambling back onto the chest of drawers when Uncle Vernon hammered on the unlocked door and it crashed open.**

"Hurry!" Katie exclaimed.

**For a split second, Uncle Vernon stood framed in the doorway; then he let out a bellow like an angry bull and dived at Harry, grabbing him by the ankle.**

"You let go of him," older Remus growled.

**Ron, Fred, and George seized Harry's arms and pulled as hard as they could.**

**"Petunia!" roared Uncle Vernon. "He's getting away! HE'S GETTING AWAY!"**

"Damn right he is," older James scowled.

**But the Weasleys gave a gigantic tug and Harry's leg slid out of Uncle Vernon's grasp - Harry was in the car - he'd slammed the door shut.**

"YES!" everyone cheered.

**"Put your foot down, Fred!" yelled Ron, and the car shot suddenly toward the moon.**

**Harry couldn't believe it - he was free. He rolled down the**

**window, the night air whipping his hair, and looked back at the shrinking rooftops of Privet Drive. Uncle Vernon, Aunt Petunia, and Dudley were all hanging, dumbstruck, out of Harry's window.**

"That must have been a sight," young Sirius chortled.

**"See you next summer!" Harry yelled.**

Everyone laughed.

**The Weasleys roared with laughter and Harry settled back in his seat, grinning from ear to ear.**

**"Let Hedwig out," he told Ron. "She can fly behind us. She hasn't had a chance to stretch her wings for ages."**

"Good," Hagrid grunted.

**George handed the hairpin to Ron and, a moment later, Hedwig soared joyfully out of the window to glide alongside them like a ghost.**

**"So - what's the story, Harry?" said Ron impatiently. "What's been happening?"**

**Harry told them all about Dobby, the warning he'd given Harry and the fiasco of the violet pudding. There was a long, shocked silence when he had finished.**

**"Very fishy," said Fred finally.**

**"Definitely dodgy" agreed George. "So he wouldn't even tell you who's supposed to be plotting all this stuff?"**

**"I don't think he could," said Harry. "I told you, every time he got close to letting something slip, he started banging his head against the wall."**

**He saw Fred and George look at each other.**

**"What, you think he was lying to me?" said Harry.**

**"Well," said Fred, "put it this way - house-elves have got powerful magic of their own, but they can't usually use it without their master's permission. I reckon old Dobby was sent to stop you coming back to Hogwarts. Someone's idea of a joke. Can you think of anyone at school with a grudge against you?"**

"Malfoy!" young James cried.

**"Yes," said Harry and Ron together, instantly.**

**"Draco Malfoy," Harry explained. "He hates me."**

**"Draco Malfoy?" said George, turning around. "Not Lucius Malfoy's son?"**

**"Must be, it's not a very common name, is it?" said Harry.**

**"I've heard Dad talking about him," said George. "He was a big supporter of You-Know-Who."**

**"And when You-Know-Who disappeared," said Fred, craning around to look at Harry, "Lucius Malfoy came back saying he'd never meant any of it.**

Older Sirius snorted.

"Yeah right," older James muttered.

**Load of dung - Dad reckons he was right in You- Know-Who's inner circle."**

**Harry had heard these rumors about Malfoy's family before, and they didn't surprise him at all. Malfoy made Dudley Dursley look like a kind, thoughtful, and sensitive boy.**

"That's a little much," Bill said.

Harry shrugged.

**"I don't know whether the Malfoys own a house-elf,"said Harry.**

"They do," older Remus said.

"Not anymore," Harry muttered so only Ginny, Ron, and Hermione could hear.

They smirked.

**"Well, whoever owns him will be an old wizarding family, and they'll be rich," said Fred.**

**"Yeah, Mum's always wishing we had a house-elf to do the ironing," said George. "But all we've got is a lousy old ghoul in the attic and gnomes all over the garden. House-elves come with big old manors and castles and places like that; you wouldn't catch one in our house . . . ."**

**Harry was silent. Judging by the fact that Draco Malfoy usually had the best of everything, his family was rolling in wizard gold; he could just see Malfoy strutting around a large manor house. Sending the family servant to stop Harry from going back to Hogwarts also sounded exactly like the sort of thing Malfoy would do. Had Harry been stupid to take Dobby seriously?**

"No," Moody grunted, "Always take warnings and threats seriously. Even if they are jokes."

**"I'm glad we came to get you, anyway," said Ron. "I was getting really worried when you didn't answer any of my letters. I thought it was Errol's fault at first**

**-"**

**"Who's Errol?"**

**"Our owl. He's ancient. It wouldn't be the first time he'd collapsed on a delivery. So then I tried to borrow Hermes -"**

**"Who?"**

**"The owl Mum and Dad bought Percy when he was made prefect," said Fred from the front.**

**"But Percy wouldn't lend him to me," said Ron. "Said he needed him."**

**"Percy's been acting very oddly this summer," said George, frowning. "And he has been sending a lot of letters and spending a load of time shut up in his room ... I mean, there's only so many times you can polish a prefect badge ... You're driving too far west, Fred," he added, pointing at a compass on the dashboard. Fred twiddled the steering wheel.**

**"So, does your dad know you've got the car?" said Harry, guessing the answer.**

**"Er, no," said Ron, "he had to work tonight. Hopefully we'll be able to get it back in the garage without Mum noticing we flew it."**

**"Well, if she didn't know then she knows now," older Sirius chuckled.**

"She knows. If she didn't she would have been shocked about them recusing Harry," older Lily said.

Mrs. Weasley smiled at her.

**"What does your dad do at the Ministry of Magic, anyway?"**

**"He works in the most boring department," said Ron. "The Misuse of Muggle Artifacts Office."**

**"The what?"**

**"It's all to do with bewitching things that are Muggle-made, you know, in case they end up back in a Muggle shop or house. Like, last year, some old witch died and her tea set was sold to an antiques shop. This Muggle woman bought it, took it home, and tried to serve her friends tea in it. It was a nightmare - Dad was working overtime for weeks."**

**"What happened?"**

**"The teapot went berserk and squirted boiling tea all over the place and one man ended up in the hospital with the sugar tongs clamped to his nose. Dad was going frantic - it's only him and an old warlock called Perkins in the office -and they had to do Memory Charms and all sorts of stuff to cover it up -"**

**"But your dad - this car -"**

**Fred laughed. "Yeah, Dad's crazy about everything to do with Muggles; our shed's full of Muggle stuff. He takes it apart, puts spells on it, and puts it back together again. If he raided our house he'd have to put himself under arrest. It drives Mum mad."**

Everyone chuckled.

"Good old Arthur," Kingsley thought.

**"That's the main road," said George, peering down through the windshield. "We'll be there in ten minutes ... Just as well, it's getting light . . . ."**

**A faint pinkish glow was visible along the horizon to the east.**

**Fred brought the car lower, and Harry saw a dark patchwork of fields and clumps of trees.**

**"We're a little way outside the village," said George. "Ottery St. Catchpole."**

**Lower and lower went the flying car. The edge of a brilliant red sun was now gleaming through the trees.**

**"Touchdown!" said Fred as, with a slight bump, they hit the ground. They had landed next to a tumbledown garage in a small yard, and Harry looked out for the first time at Ron's house.**

**It looked as though it had once been a large stone pigpen, but extra rooms had been added here and there until it was several stories high and so crooked it looked as though it were held up by magic (which, Harry reminded himself, it probably was). Four or five chimneys were perched on top of the red roof. A lopsided sign stuck in the ground near the entrance read, THE BuRRow. Around the front door lay a jumble of rubber boots and a very rusty cauldron. Several fat brown chickens were pecking their way around the yard.**

**"Observate, that's a good quality to have in an Auror," Moody muttered.**

**"It's not much," said Ron.**

**"It's wonderful," said Harry happily, thinking of Privet Drive.**

Mr. Weasley's ears turned red.

Mrs. Weasley blushed.

**They got out of the car.**

**"Now, we'll go upstairs really quietly," said Fred, "and wait for Mum to call us for breakfast Then, Ron, you come bounding downstairs going, `Mum, look who turned up in the night!' and she'll be all pleased to see Harry and no one need ever know we flew the car."**

"That won't work," older Lily said, "She'll want an explanation for how he got there."

**"Right," said Ron. "Come on, Harry, I sleep at the - at the top**

**Ron had gone a nasty greenish color, his eyes fixed on the house. The other three wheeled around.**

Bill, Charlie, and Ginny winced. They knew what was coming next.

**Mrs. Weasley was marching across the yard, scattering chickens, and for a short, plump, kind-faced woman, it was remarkable how much she looked like a saber-toothed tiger.**

"I meant that as a complement," Harry said quickly.

The Weasleys laughed.

**"Ah, "said Fred.**

**"Oh, dear," said George.**

**Mrs. Weasley came to a halt in front of them, her hands on her hips, staring from one guilty face to the next. She was wearing a flowered apron with a wand sticking out of the pocket.**

**"So, "she said.**

**"Morning, Mum," said George, in what he clearly thought was a jaunty, winning voice.**

**"Nice try boys, but you're in for it," young Sirius laughed.**

**"Have you any idea how worried I've been?" said Mrs. Weasley in a deadly whisper.**

**"Sorry, Mum, but see, we had to -"**

**All three of Mrs. Weasley's sons were taller than she was, but they cowered as her rage broke over them.**

"Still do," Fred said.

**"Beds empty! No note! Car gone - could have crashed - out of my**

**mind with worry - did you care? - never, as long as I've lived - you wait until your father gets home, we never had trouble like this from Bill or Charlie or Percy -"**

**"Perfect Percy," muttered Fred.**

**"YOU COULD DO WITH TAKING A LEAF OUT OF PERCY'S BOOK!" yelled Mrs. Weasley, prodding a finger in Fred's chest.**

"You shouldn't compare them. It'll make them feel bad about themselves," Luna commented dreamily.

Mrs. Weasley looked at her like she had never seen her before.

**"You could have died, you could have been seen, you could have lost your father his job -"**

**It seemed to go on for hours. Mrs. Weasley had shouted herself hoarse before she turned on Harry, who backed away.**

"Oh, I wasn't going to yell at you, dear. You had nothing to do with this. Besides, if I knew how they had treated you I would have baked them a cake for getting you out of there," Mrs. Weasley said.

Harry smiled.

**"I'm very pleased to see you, Harry, dear," she said. "Come in and have some breakfast."**

**She turned and walked back into the house and Harry, after a nervous glance at Ron, who nodded encouragingly, followed her.**

**The kitchen was small and rather cramped. There was a scrubbed wooden table and chairs in the middle, and Harry sat down on the edge of his seat, looking around. He had never been in a wizard house before.**

**The clock on the wall opposite him had only one hand and no numbers at all. Written around the edge were things like Time to make tea, Time to feed the chickens, and You're late. Books were stacked three deep on the mantelpiece, books with titles like Charm Your Own Cheese, Enchantment in Baking, and One Minute Feasts - It's Magic! And unless Harry's ears were deceiving him, the old radio next to the sink had just announced that coming up was "Witching Hour, with the popular singing sorceress, Celestina Warbeck."**

**Mrs. Weasley was clattering around, cooking breakfast a little haphazardly, throwing dirty looks at her sons as she threw sausages into the frying pan. Every now and then she muttered things like "don't know what you were thinking of," and "never would have believed it."**

"With those two, I don't know why you were so surprised," older Remus chuckled, nodding at the twins.

**"I wasn't, really. I didn't know where they were, and as a parent not knowing where your child is at, or if they are okay is one of the most terrifying things in the world," Mrs. Weasley said.**

Older Remus smiled sadly, knowing he would never be able to feel that way, because he will never be there for his son.

Older James patted his shoulder understandingly.

**"I don't blame you, dear," she assured Harry, tipping eight or nine sausages onto his plate. "Arthur and I have been worried about you, too. Just last night we were saying we'd come and get you ourselves if you hadn't written back to Ron by Friday.**

"That's sweet of you," older Lily said.

"Oh, it's nothing. Harry's a part of the family," Mrs. Weasley smiled.

Older Lily returned the smile sadly.

**But really," (she was now adding three fried eggs to his plate) "flying an illegal car halfway across the country - anyone could have seen you -"**

**She flicked her wand casually at the dishes in the sink, which began to clean themselves, clinking gently in the background.**

**"It was cloudy, Mum!" said Fred.**

**"You keep your mouth closed while you're eating!" Mrs. Weasley snapped.**

**"They were starving him, Mum!" said George.**

**"And you!" said Mrs. Weasley, but it was with a slightly softened expression that she started cutting Harry bread and buttering it for him.**

"I don't care what she says, Harry is her favorite son," Charlie said.

"Agreed," Bill replied.

"Oh, stop it. I love each of my children equally. Even the adopted ones," Mrs. Weasley smiled at Harry and Hermione.

The two smiled back.

Older Lily couldn't help feeling a bit jealous.

**At that moment there was a diversion in the form of a small, redheaded figure in a long nightdress, who appeared in the kitchen, gave a small squeal, and ran out again.**

"What was that?" Seamus snorted.

**"Ginny,"**

"Ohh," Seamus said.

Ginny glared at him.

**said Ron in an undertone to Harry. "My sister. She's been talking about you all summer."**

"Ron!" Ginny shouted.

Ron hid behind Harry.

**"Yeah, she'll be wanting your autograph, Harry," Fred said**

Ginny turned her glare on him.

Fred Gulped.

**with a grin, but he caught his mother's eye and bent his face over his plate without another word.**

Ginny smiled.

**Nothing more was said until all four plates were clean, which took a surprisingly short time.**

"Not with a group of teenage boys," Hermione said.

**"Blimey, I'm tired," yawned Fred, setting down his knife and fork at last. "I think I'll go to bed and -"**

"NIce try," young James smirked.

**"You will not," snapped Mrs. Weasley. "It's your own fault you've been up all night. You're going to de-gnome the garden for me; they're getting completely out of hand again -"**

"I always hated de-gnoming," older Remus muttered.

Tonks chuckled.

"Oh, Mum -"

**"And you two," she said, glaring at Ron and George. "You can go up to bed, dear," she added to Harry. "You didn't ask them to fly that wretched car -"**

"Like I said, Harry is her favorite," Charlie stated.

"Stop saying such nonsense," Mrs. Weasley demanded.

**But Harry, who felt wide awake, said quickly, "I'll help Ron. I've never seen a de-gnoming -"**

"It's actually rather boring," young Remus said.

**"That's very sweet of you, dear, but it's dull work," said Mrs. Weasley. "Now, let's see what Lockhart's got to say on the subject -"**

"Lockhart? You mean that dimwit Ravenclaw a few years ahead of us in school?" older James asked.

"It must be," older Sirius shrugged.

**And she pulled a heavy book**

"He can write," older Sirius exclaimed in amazement.

All the people that had him as a teacher laughed.

**from the stack on the mantelpiece. George groaned.**

**"Mum, we know how to de-gnome a garden -"**

**Harry looked at the cover of Mrs. Weasley's book. Written across it in fancy gold letters were the words Gilderoy Lockhart's Guide to Household Pests. There was a big photograph on the front of a very good looking wizard with wavy blond hair and bright blue eyes. As always in the wizarding world, the photograph was moving; the wizard, who Harry supposed was Gilderoy Lockhart, kept winking cheekily up at them all. Mrs. Weasley beamed down at him.**

"Oh no, she fancies him," young James muttered, rolling his eyes.

Younger Sirius snickered.

Young Lily glared at them.

Young James smirked.

Young Lily blushed.

"Merlin, we were so stupid," older Lily muttered.

Older James laughed.

**"Oh, he is marvelous," she said. "He knows his household pests, all right, it's a wonderful book . . . ."**

**"Mum fancies him," said Fred, in a very audible whisper.**

Everyone laughed.

"I do not," Mrs. Weasley cried.

"Notice how she said nothing about then," older Sirius pointed out.

Mrs. Weasley glared.

**"Don't be so ridiculous, Fred," said Mrs. Weasley, her cheeks rather pink.**

"See! That's a confession!" older Sirius shouted.

**"All right, if you think you know better than Lockhart, you can go and get on with it, and woe betide you if there's a single gnome in that garden when I come out to inspect it."**

**Yawning and grumbling, the Weasleys slouched outside with Harry behind them. The garden was large, and in Harry's eyes, exactly what a garden should be. The Dursleys wouldn't have liked it**

"Which is why I liked it and still do," Harry said.

**- there were plenty of weeds, and the grass needed cutting but there were gnarled trees all around the walls, plants Harry had never seen spilling from every flower bed, and a big green pond full of frogs.**

**"Muggles have garden gnomes, too, you know," Harry told Ron**

**they crossed the lawn.**

**"Yeah, I've seen those things they think are gnomes," said Ron, bent double with his head in a peony bush, "like fat little Santa Clauses with fishing rods . . . ."**

The Muggle-borns laughed.

**There was a violent scuffling noise, the peony bush shuddered, and Ron straightened up. "This is a gnome," he said grimly.**

**"Gerroff me! Gerroff me!" squealed the gnome.**

**It was certainly nothing like Santa Claus. It was small and leathery looking, with a large, knobby, bald head exactly like a potato. Ron held it at arm's length as it kicked out at him with its horny little feet; he grasped it around the ankles and turned it upside down.**

**"This is what you have to do," he said. He raised the gnome above his head ("Gerroff me!") and started to swing it in great circles like a lasso. Seeing the shocked look on Harry's face, Ron added, "It doesn't hurt them - you've just got to make them really dizzy so they can't find their way back to the gnomeholes."**

**He let go of the gnome's ankles: It flew twenty feet into the air and landed with a thud in the field over the hedge.**

**"Pitiful," said Fred. "I bet I can get mine beyond that stump."**

**Harry learned quickly not to feel too sorry for the gnomes. He decided just to drop the first one he caught over the hedge, but the gnome, sensing weakness, sank its razor-sharp teeth into Harry's finger and he had a hard job shaking it off - until**

**"Wow, Harry - that must've been fifty feet ...**

"Oh, you poor dear," Mrs. Weasley cooed.

Fred, George, Ron, Bill, and Charlie rolled their eyes.

**The air was soon thick with flying gnomes.**

**"See, they're not too bright," said George, seizing five or six gnomes at once. "The moment they know the de-gnoming's going on they storm up to have a look. You'd think they'd have learned by now just to stay put."**

**Soon, the crowd of gnomes in the field started walking away in a straggling line, their little shoulders hunched.**

**"They'll be back," said Ron as they watched the gnomes disappear into the hedge on the other side of the field. "They love it here ... Dad's too soft with them; he thinks they're funny . . . ."**

Mr. Weasley smiled.

**Just then, the front door slammed.**

**"He's back!" said George. "Dad's home!"**

**They hurried through the garden and back into the house.**

**Mr. Weasley was slumped in a kitchen chair with his glasses off and his eyes closed. He was a thin man, going bald, but the little hair he had was as red as any of his children's. He was wearing long green robes, which were dusty and travel-worn.**

**"What a night," he mumbled, groping for the teapot as they all sat down around him. "Nine raids. Nine! And old Mundungus Fletcher tried to put a hex on me when I had my back turned ...**

**Mr. Weasley took a long gulp of tea and sighed.**

**"Find anything, Dad?" said Fred eagerly.**

**"All I got were a few shrinking door keys and a biting kettle," yawned Mr. Weasley. "There was some pretty nasty stuff that wasn't my department, though. Mortlake was taken away for questioning about some extremely odd ferrets,**

Harry, Ron, and Hermione shared smirks.

**but that's the Committee on Experimental Charms, thank goodness ...**

**"Why would anyone bother making door keys shrink?" said George.**

**"Just Muggle-baiting," sighed Mr. Weasley. "Sell them a key that keeps shrinking to nothing so they can never find it when they need it ... Of course, it's very hard to convict anyone because no Muggle would admit their key keeps shrinking - they'll insist they just keep losing it. Bless them, they'll go to any lengths to ignore magic, even if it's staring them in the face ... But the things our lot have taken to enchanting, you wouldn't believe -"**

**"LIKE CARS, FOR INSTANCE?"**

"Somebody's in trouble," young James and Sirius said in a sing song voice.

"Shut up," young Lily hissed.

Young James winked at her.

**Mrs. Weasley had appeared, holding a long poker like a sword. Mr. Weasley's eyes jerked open. He stared guiltily at his wife.**

**"C-cars, Molly, dear?"**

A few people chuckled.

**"Yes, Arthur, cars," said Mrs. Weasley, her eyes flashing. "Imagine a wizard buying a rusty old car and telling his wife all he wanted to do with it was take it apart to see how it worked, while really he was enchanting it to make it fly."**

**Mr. Weasley blinked.**

**"Well, dear, I think you'll find that he would be quite within the law to do that, even if - er - he maybe would have done better to, um, tell his wife the truth ...**

A few people snickered.

**There's a loophole in the law, you'll find ... As long as he wasn't intending to fly the car, the fact that the car could fly wouldn't -"**

**"Arthur Weasley, you made sure there was a loophole when you wrote that law!" shouted Mrs. Weasley. "Just so you could carry on tinkering with all that Muggle rubbish in your shed! And for your information, Harry arrived this morning in the car you weren't intending to fly!"**

**"Harry?" said Mr. Weasley blankly. "Harry who?"**

**He looked around, saw Harry, and jumped.**

"The usual reaction," Harry muttered.

**"Good lord, is it Harry Potter? Very pleased to meet you, Ron's told us so much about -"**

**"Your sons flew that car to Harry's house and back last night."**

**shouted Mrs. Weasley. "What have you got to say about that, eh?"**

**"Did you really?" said Mr. Weasley eagerly. "Did it go all right? I - I mean," he faltered as sparks flew from Mrs. Weasley's eyes, "that - that was very wrong, boys - very wrong indeed ...**

Everyone ins the hall laughed.

**"Let's leave them to it," Ron muttered to Harry as Mrs. Weasley swelled like a bullfrog. "Come on, I'll show you my bedroom."**

**They slipped out of the kitchen and down a narrow passageway to an uneven staircase, which wound its way, zigzagging up**

**through the house. On the third landing, a door stood ajar. Harry just caught sight of a pair of bright brown eyes staring at him before it closed with a snap.**

**"Ginny," said Ron. "You don't know how weird it is for her to be this shy. She never shuts up normally -"**

"RON!" Ginny screamed.

Ron hid behind Harry.

**They climbed two more flights until they reached a door with peeling paint and a small plaque on it, saying RONALD'S ROOM.**

**Harry stepped in, his head almost touching the sloping ceiling, and blinked. It was like walking into a furnace: Nearly everything in Ron's room seemed to be a violent shade of orange: the bedspread, the walls, even the ceiling. Then Harry realized that Ron had covered nearly every inch of the shabby wallpaper with posters of the same seven witches and wizards, all wearing bright orange robes, carrying broomsticks, and waving energetically.**

**"Your Quidditch team?" said Harry.**

**"The Chudley Cannons," said Ron, pointing at the orange bedspread, which was emblazoned with two giant black C's and a speeding cannonball. "Ninth in the league."**

**Ron's school spellbooks were stacked untidily in a corner, next to a pile of comics that all seemed to feature The Adventures of Martin Miggs, the Mad Muggle. Ron's magic wand was lying on top of a fish tank full of frog spawn on the windowsill, next to his fat gray rat, Scabbers, who was snoozing in a patch of sun.**

**Harry stepped over a pack of Self-Shuffling playing cards on the floor and looked out of the tiny window. In the field far below he could see a gang of gnomes sneaking one by one back through the Weasleys' hedge. Then he turned to look at Ron, who was watching him almost nervously, as though waiting for his opinion.**

**"It's a bit small," said Ron quickly. "Not like that room you had with the Muggles. And I'm right underneath the ghoul in the attic; he's always banging on the pipes and groaning ... But Harry, grinning widely, said, "This is the best house I've ever been in." Ron's ears went pink.**

"Oh, you're such a dear," Mrs. Weasley cooed.

Bill, Ron, Charlie,George, and Fred rolled their eyes.

"That's the end of the chapter," Frank announced.

_AN: Here's the next chapter. Thanks for all the reviews, favorites, and follows. Have a nice day._


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